New DSWD chief wants more social workers, no revamp

MANILA, Philippines — Social Welfare Secretary Rexlon Gatchalian will not embark on a top management revamp or make changes in the rank-and-file in the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) anytime soon.

He said he is more inclined to go on a recruitment drive to boost talent in the department to enhance the operations and management of the huge bureaucracy, and also improve the social protection programs delivered to the country’s poorest and marginalized sector.

“There will be no purge. And I will say that categorically,” Gatchalian said in his first press conference yesterday as DSWD chief. The Valenzuela City congressman was serving his third term when he was appointed to the top post by President Marcos last Tuesday.

“The DSWD is an ongoing concern, I mean, every day the DSWD machinery is running and we should not disrupt this,” Gatchalian said in a mix of English and Filipino. “It’s business as usual.”

Former DSWD secretary Erwin Tulfo had resigned from the position last December, after being again bypassed by the Commission on Appointments. Before his departure, Tulfo had filled all the key undersecretary and assistant secretary positions and even  appointed heads of various bureaus, services and regional directorships.

While not making changes or removing people, Gatchalian said that he wanted to get more social workers, community development organizers and even logistics experts into the DSWD. “But I’m not ruling out adding more talents,” he said.

Gatchalian said he was planning to issue a call for social workers, communication development graduates and people in the social science field “that will be able to contribute to social welfare delivery.”

“We’re also talking to logistics experts because that is also in our flagship programs,” he said.

Gatchalian added the DSWD actually has a good supply of expertise in its mandate concerns. “We have exceptional talent… I’ll make sure that I also put them in the decision making table, so I can hear their expert opinion, their institutional stock knowledge,” he said.

“We don’t have an agenda of removing people. If you noticed, I came here almost by myself. Because I am going to work with the bureaucracy and we will enhance the bureaucracy,” he said.

Gatchalian said he was talking to academe, initially with outgoing University of the Philippines president Danny Concepcion, “because UP has a very good social worker program and a community development program.”

He wants to get more social workers and development workers to DSWD, as he saw the need for new recruits to staff the residential care facilities.