By Politiko staff
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appears to be taking a couple of things off Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian’s already overflowing plate.
Marcos has transferred the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP) and the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) back to the Office of the President, effectively putting the two anti-poverty agencies under Malacañang’s direct watch.
Under Executive Order No. 123 signed on Aug. 18, Marcos ordered the transfer of administrative supervision over PCUP and NAPC to the OP, reversing a 2018 order that placed both agencies under the DSWD.
On paper, Malacañang said the reshuffle was meant to strengthen policy coordination, ensure greater convergence of poverty reduction and urban development initiatives, and make it easier to implement programs requiring a whole-of-government approach.
But behind the bureaucratic language, an Iskooper said Marcos put back PCUP and NAPC under his office because they had reportedly gone too quiet under the DSWD.with little to show in terms of visible programs or deliverables.
“Parang dormant na. Wala kang maramdaman na output,” the Iskooper told Politiko, suggesting that bringing the agencies closer to Malacañang could impove their productivity.
The move also comes as Gatchalian finds himself juggling an increasingly packed portfolio at the DSWD, which is at the front line of government response to disasters, food assistance, cash aid and other social protection programs.
In EO 123, Marcos noted that PCUP was originally created under the Office of the President in 1986 to serve as a direct link between the urban poor and the government, while NAPC was established under the OP to coordinate the government’s Social Reform Agenda and poverty alleviation programs.
Both agencies were transferred to the DSWD in 2018 under EO 67 to harmonize their policies and programs with the department’s poverty alleviation and social service initiatives.
Eight years later, Marcos is bringing them home to Malacañang.
EO 123 cited an earlier executive order providing that agencies whose mandates require the President’s immediate attention or cut across different sectors may be placed under the OP. The order took effect immediately upon its signing on Aug. 18.—Politiko.com.ph
