Cacdac reappointed DMW chief after deferred CA deliberations

DMW ad interim Sec. Hans Leo Cacdac

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has reappointed Hans Leo Cacdac as ad interim secretary of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) after his confirmation was deferred as a result of Congress adjourning session sine die on May 22.

In a statement on Saturday, the Presidential Communications Office said Cacdac’s renewed assignment was proof of the President’s “continued trust and confidence” in him.

READ: CA bypasses confirmation of Cacdac as DMW secretary

Cacdac, who was first named ad interim secretary of the DMW in April, failed to get a confirmation of his appointment from the Commission on Appointments (CA) last week for lack of material time, as the second regular session of the 19th Congress adjourned on Wednesday.

Under the Constitution, the President is authorized to issue ad interim appointments while Congress is not in session to allow the concerned officials to immediately discharge their functions.

An official with an ad interim appointment needs to be confirmed by the CA before Congress adjourns its session. An ad interim appointment ceases to be valid when disapproved by the CA or if he fails to get the CA’s confirmation before the adjournment.

Earlier positions

Cacdac’s ad interim designation as issued by Malacañang on Friday will be in effect until Congress opens its session on July 22 and the CA meets again to confirm or reject his appointment.

Prior to his appointment to the top DMW post on April 25, Cacdac was designated by the President as the agency’s officer in charge in September last year following the death of then Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople.

A lawyer, Cacdac joined the government in 2001 as director of the Bureau of Labor Relations under the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) and later as administrator of its National Conciliation and Mediation Board.

Under the Aquino III administration, he served as Dole undersecretary for labor relations and later as administrator of the now-defunct Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.

During the Duterte presidency, Cacdac headed the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration. With the creation of the DMW in 2021, he served under Ople as undersecretary for foreign employment and welfare services.