FDA Director General Atty. Paolo S. Teston (FDA PHOTO)

With a promise of reform and principled leadership, former Department of Health (DOH) undersecretary Atty. Paolo S. Teston has assumed office as the new director general of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“I assume this role with a clear and urgent mandate: to raise the standard of service at the FDA—not through promises or plans alone, but through action. At seryoso po tayo sa layuning ito (And we are serious about this goal),” he said during the agency’s flag-raising ceremony held at the FDA main office on Tuesday, May 13.

The new FDA chief vowed to restore public trust in the regulatory body and committed to conduct a sweeping review of FDA’s core functions, including inspection, licensing, and post-market surveillance of health products.

Reforms, he said, will be “swift, strategic, and anchored on concrete results.”

Teston underscored that data-driven governance and inter-agency collaboration will define his approach, adding that he will hold the agency to the highest standards of professionalism.

“Let us not waste this opportunity to contribute to nation-building. Each form you process, each product you review, each coordination you facilitate, each decision you make, partnered with the highest ethical standards, creates real impact and contributes to the achievement of the goals of the organization,” he said.

Apart from strengthening regulatory functions, Teston also promised to focus on improving employee welfare.

The workforce is the backbone of the agency’s success, he stressed.

“Let us take care of our people. They are the hands on the wheel and the feet on the ground—they are key to the agency’s progress. We will listen to them, support them, and invest in their future,” said Teston.

Before his appointment to the FDA, Teston held key leadership roles at the DOH, most recently as undersecretary in charge of the Health Regulation and Facility Development Cluster.

His tenure was marked by policy reforms, capacity building, and modernization of health facilities.

As such, he concurrently served under the Capital Asset Management and Patient Support Cluster, managing several critical bureaus and programs, including the Malasakit Program Office.

He remains an active member of the DOH Executive Committee and affirmed his alignment with the Marcos administration’s “whole-of-society, whole-of-government” framework.

Teston replaced Dr. Samuel Zacate, who previously led the FDA. Zacate, a former presidential physician, was appointed in 2022.