President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has reappointed Hans Leo Cacdac as the ad interim secretary of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), a day after his appointment was bypassed as Congress adjourned sessions sine die.
In a news release on Saturday, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said Cacdac’s reappointment “demonstrates President Marcos’ continued trust and confidence in the official.”
On Thursday, the second regular session of the 19th Congress adjourned sine die, prompting the Commission on Appointments (CA) —the body composed of members of the Senate and the House of Representatives mandated to screen presidential appointees— to defer Cacdac’s confirmation.
Senate President Francis Escudero, who chairs the CA, said Cacdac’s appointment has been bypassed and needs to be reappointed by the President.
Lawmakers will reconvene on July 22 to begin the third regular session of the Congress.
Marcos appointed Cacdac as ad interim secretary of the DMW in April, seven months after he was designated as officer-in-charge of the Migrant Workers Department in September last year.
Cacdac was designated as DMW officer-in-charge after the passing of former Migrant Workers chief Susan “Toots” Ople in August 2023.
Prior to taking over the helm of the DMW, Cacdac served as undersecretary of the agency; executive director V of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA); executive director V of the Philippine Employment Administration (POEA); and undersecretary of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
He also served as deputy executive director V of the POEA; executive director IV of the National Conciliation Mediation Board-DOLE; director IV of the Bureau of Labor Relations-DOLE; and associate lawyer and Urban Poor Unit Coordinator of the Sentro ng Alternatibong Lingap Panligal (SALIGAN) in the private sector. —Ted Cordero/KG, GMA Integrated News
