Eduardo Punay has been appointed officer-in-charge (OIC) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., Malacanang stated on Tuesday.
Undersecretary Cheloy Garafil, OIC of the Office of the Press Secretary, confirmed Punay's appointment (OPS).
In addition, the OPS made available a copy of the Dec. 23 Marcos-signed appointment letter for Punay.
Punay previously held the position of DSWD Undersecretary for Special Projects.
Before working for the Marcos government, he was a broadsheet reporter.
In another advisory, the department said Punay was chosen as the DSWD OIC "to assure the uninterrupted operations of the agency and that no actions will be derailed or hampered."
The DSWD claimed that Punay's appointment was also appropriate, particularly now that relief must be given to those affected by the flooding in Visayas and Mindanao.
Another former journalist and former head of the DSWD, Erwin Tulfo, was passed over by the Commission on Appointments (CA) because of citizenship difficulties and prior libel convictions.
In addition to four counts of libel, Tulfo neglected to provide evidence showing, as a result of a prior enlistment in the US Army, he is no longer an American citizen.
