Former Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Corazon "Dinky" Soliman died on Sunday, Sept. 19. She was 68.
This was confirmed by former Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima.
Purisima remembered Soliman as an "untiring community worker" and the "epitome of a selfless, honest, and competent public servant."
"Dinky your time on earth was not enough compared to the amount of good you could still have done and wanted to do. Despite this, you helped, touched, and gave hope to millions of people, especially those who needed society's help the most, many of whom are mourning right now," Purisima wrote in a Facebook post.
You introduced and pushed for the conditional cash transfer program (4Ps) that has benefited millions of Filipinos. That alone should seal your legacy of truly caring for the poor and underprivileged."
Soliman served under the administrations of the late President Benigno Aquino III and former President Gloria Macapacal Arroyo.
In 2005, she left her post under Arroyo following the "Hello, Garci" scandal.
Soliman obtained her BS Social Work and Master of Social Work degrees from the University of the Philippines. She also attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where she earned her Master of Public Administration.
She was among the awardees of the World Bank's award for leadership in social accountability in a ceremony held in Washington, DC, United States in 2015.