MANILA, Philippines – Valenzuela City 1st District Representative Rex Gatchalian has been appointed secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Presidential Communications Office announced on Tuesday, January 31.

Gatchalian, who was also mayor of Valenzuela City for three straight terms, took his oath before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on the same day.

“Mr. President, thank you for giving me the opportunity to be able to serve the country in a much larger capacity. Valenzuelanos, the services of our Congress and district offices will not change. Tuloy-tuloy po ang serbisyo (Service will continue),” said Gatchalian, a member of a political clan based in the city.

His brothers are also in politics – Sherwin, who is in the Senate, and Wes, incumbent Valenzuela City mayor. Senator Sherwin was reelected after running under the Marcos-Sara Duterte tandem in the 2022 polls.

The new DSWD chief played an active role in the 2022 campaign of the Uniteam, or the coalition that Marcos and now Vice President Duterte ran under. He helped organize most Metro Manila events for Duterte, who during the campaign period saw a dramatic rise in survey numbers in the vote-rich capital region.

Gatchalian steps into a department that has been headed by an officer-in-charge for over a month after Marcos’ first DSWD chief, broadcaster Erwin Tulfo, stepped down after being bypassed by the Commission on Appointments.

“The DSWD workforce commits to work with the newly appointed secretary in ensuring that the mandate of the department is carried out effectively, efficiently, and economically,” the DSWD said in a statement on Tuesday. – Rappler.com