(UPDATE) PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. named former budget official Kim Robert de Leon as the new secretary of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Malacañang announced Monday.
“A career public servant, Secretary de Leon is recognized for his work in fiscal management, organizational reform, and digital transformation,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in a briefing.
De Leon also obtained a certificate in Business Process Management from the Queensland University of Technology in 2021 under the Australia Awards Scholarship Program, Castro added.
The new budget chief graduated magna cum laude and valedictorian from the University of the Philippines Diliman. He topped the 2016 Environmental Planning Licensure Examination and holds Master’s degrees in urban and regional planning and public safety administration with academic honors.
Previously, de Leon was an assistant professor at the University of the Philippines National College of Public Administration and Governance. He also held key government positions, including DBM undersecretary, where he handled the Organization and Systems Improvement and Information and Communications Technology Groups, and undersecretary for Administration and Finance under the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
He replaces Rolando Toledo, who will move to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) as a member of the board of trustees.
In a separate statement, Toledo vowed that his resolve to serve the Filipino “remains unchanged.” At 35 years old, de Leon is the youngest member of the Marcos Cabinet. He is set to take his oath of office on Tuesday, May 19.
Meanwhile, the Palace said Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla will keep his post despite talk that he would be replaced.
In a press briefing, Castro said President Marcos still trusts Remulla and there are no signs that he would be replaced.
She brushed off talk that either former senator Antonio Trillanes IV or Remulla’s predecessor, Benhur Abalos, would soon be taking over the reins at the DILG.
Rumors that Remulla was on his way out surfaced following his failure to arrest former Ako Bicol party-list representative Zaldy Co and Sen. Ronald dela Rosa.
Remulla previously admitted to reporting to Marcos the alleged arrest of Co in the Czech Republic and the supposed imminent release of an Interpol Red Notice for the fugitive ex-congressman at the center of the flood control bribery scandal.
Co, however, was released by Czech authorities and is now reportedly in France where he is said to have applied for political asylum.
