ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider QC, Valenzuela mayors express support to new DSWD Sec. Gatchalian 

QC, Valenzuela mayors express support to new DSWD Sec. Gatchalian 

Published Feb 1, 2023 01:30 pm

The mayors of Valenzuela and Quezon Cities have expressed support to the newly appointed Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rexlon “Rex” Gatchalian.

Gatchalian on Tuesday, Jan. 31, swore in as the new DSWD secretary before President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr..

Valenzuela City Mayor Weslie “Wes” Gatchalian congratulated his brother for the new designation.

“Noon pa man ay hanga na kami sa iyong galing bilang isang lider at lingkod bayan sa ating lungsod. Excited na kaming makita ang mga programa at pagbabago na dadalhin mo sa buong sambayanan bilang kalihim ng #DSWD! ( We have always admired your skills as a leader and public servant in our city. We are excited to see the programs and changes you will bring to the entire nation as the secretary of #DSWD!),” he said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

“When we were young we used to play and sleep together not knowing where destiny would bring us. To the person who molded me to become a strong leader and taught me the true meaning of public service. I am extremely proud to see you serve our beloved city and now the whole country,” the mayor said.

Meanwhile, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte recalled when she was able to work with the new DSWD secretary especially during the Covid-19 pandemic years (2019-2022).

“During this period i witnessed then Mayor Gatchalian’s outstanding leadership skills, including his progressive views, decisiveness, and hands-on style of governance,” Belmonte said in a statement on Wednesday, Feb. 1.

“As a result, Valenzuela was among the cities with the best Covid response program. His commitment and dedication to public service as a mayor earned for Valenzuela City countless accolades and recognitions including several coveted Galing Pook awards. I am confident he will do justice to his new role as our nation’s social welfare czar,” she added.

Secretary Gatchalian took over the DSWD top post which was led for more than a month (starting December 2022) by DSWD officer-in-charge Eduardo Punay.

Gatchalian served as Valenzuela City mayor from 2013-2022 and as the representative of the city’s first district after winning in the 2022 national and local elections before being appointed by the President as the chief of DSWD.

Various programs implemented during Gatchalian’s term as Valenzuela’s local chief executive received recognitions from different national government agencies and other institutions.

Among the programs were the Tagalag Fishing Village in Barangay Tagalag, a transformational project that re-awakened tourism in the city; Paspas Permit, the city’s online business permit renewal system; and the Valenzuela Live that helped in the education of the students during the Covid-19 pandemic through distance learning. The three programs were recognized during the Galing Pook Awards in 2021.

Galing Pook is a leading resource institution that recognizes, capacitates, and promotes innovation, sustainability, citizen empowerment, and excellence in local governance (according to https://www.galingpook.org/).

Read more: Marcos appoints Rex Gatchalian as DSWD chief, ‘Don’t worry’: New DSWD chief Rex Gatchalian has message for Valenzuela constituents

Related Tags

Rex Gatchalian wes gatchalian DSWD joy belmonte
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.