4Ps party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan on Sunday appealed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to pick an “apolitical” Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) secretary who has no plans to run for any elective position.
“We would urge the President to appoint a DSWD secretary who is not interested or involved in politics, and who has a lot of compassion for the poor and marginalized,” he said.
“The country does not need a DSWD head who is keen on running for public office in the 2025 or 2028 elections,” he added.
He maintained that a DSWD chief with a political ambition could be easily distracted at work.
Libanan, who formerly represented Eastern Samar’s lone district, cited the need for a “fast acting” DSWD amid the recent widespread flooding in Eastern Visayas and other parts of the country.
Due to weather disturbances in the first two weeks of 2023, rains, floods and landslides claimed the lives of 17 people across the country and distressed a total of 523,991 individuals from 121,950 families.
The powerful Commission on Appointment bypassed ex-DSWD chief Erwin Tulfo’s appointment over his libel conviction and citizenship issues.
Undersecretary Edu Punay, a former journalist, was appointed as DSWD officer in charge.