Secretary of Social Welfare and Development

The secretary of social welfare and development (Filipino: Kalihim ng Kagalingang Panlipunan at Pagpapaunlad) is the head of the Department of Social Welfare and Development and is a member of the President's Cabinet.^[1]

Secretary of Social Welfare and Development
Kalihim ng Kagalingang Panlipunan at Pagpapaunlad
Official seal of the Department of Social Welfare and Development
Incumbent Vacant since May 22, 2025
Style	The Honourable
Member of	Cabinet
Appointer	The president with the consent of the Commission on Appointments
Term length	No fixed term
Inaugural holder	Gracio Gonzaga
Formation	January 21, 1899 (126 years ago) (1899-01-21)
Website	www.dswd.gov.ph

There is no incumbent secretary as of May 22, 2025.

List of secretaries of social welfare and development

#	Image	Name	Position	Tenure started	Tenure ended	President
1		Gracio Gonzaga	Minister of Welfare	January 21, 1899	May 7, 1899	Emilio Aguinaldo
2		Jose Fabella	Commissioner of Public Welfare	November 15, 1921	November 15, 1935	Insular Government (American occupation)
3		Juan Nolasco	Secretary of Public Instruction, Health, and Public Welfare	November 15, 1935	December 24, 1941	Manuel L. Quezon
4		Sergio Osmeña		December 24, 1941	August 1, 1944
5		Honorario Poblador Sr.	Secretary of Justice, Labor and Welfare	August 1, 1944	December 25, 1944	Sergio Osmeña
Act		Mariano A. Eraña		December 25, 1944	February 17, 1945
6		Juan Salcedo Jr.	Secretary of Health and Public Welfare	February 17, 1945	November 10, 1945	Sergio Osmeña
7		Jose Locsin		November 10, 1945	May 28, 1946
8		Asuncion Perez	Secretary of Social Welfare	1950	1953	Elpidio Quirino
9		Pacita Madrigal-Warns		1954	1955	Ramon Magsaysay
10		Amparo Villamor		1960	1961	Carlos P. Garcia
11		Tecla San Andres Ziga		1962	1963	Diosdado Macapagal
12		Jose O. Pelayo		1963	1965
13		Francisco T. Remotigue		1966	1967	Ferdinand E. Marcos
14		Gregorio Feliciano		1967	1971
15		Estefania Aldaba-Lim		April 11, 1971	1976
			Secretary of Social Services and Development	1976	November 30, 1977
16		Nathaniel Tablante		December 1, 1977	March 28, 1978
17		Sylvia P. Montes	Minister of Social Services and Development	March 28, 1978	February 25, 1986
18		Mita Pardo de Tavera		February 25, 1986	January 30, 1987	Corazon C. Aquino
			Secretary of Social Welfare and Development	January 30, 1987	June 30, 1992
19		Corazon Alma de Leon		June 30, 1992	June 30, 1995	Fidel V. Ramos
20		Lina B. Laigo		June 30, 1995	June 30, 1998
21[A]		Gloria Macapagal Arroyo		June 30, 1998	October 12, 2000	Joseph Ejercito Estrada
22		Dulce Saguisag		October 12, 2000	January 19, 2001
23		Corazon Soliman		January 20, 2001	July 8, 2005	Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
Act		Luwalhati Pablo		July 8, 2005	July 20, 2005
24		Esperanza Cabral		July 21, 2005	August 31, 2009
25		Celia Yangco		September 1, 2009	June 30, 2010
26		Corazon Soliman		June 30, 2010	June 30, 2016	Benigno S. Aquino III
Ad Int		Judy Taguiwalo		June 30, 2016	August 16, 2017	Rodrigo Duterte
OIC		Emmanuel Leyco[2]		August 19, 2017	May 9, 2018
Act		Virginia Orogo		May 10, 2018	October 16, 2018
27		Rolando Joselito Bautista		October 17, 2018	June 30, 2022
28		Erwin Tulfo[3]		June 30, 2022 (reappointed October 4, 2022)	December 27, 2022	Bongbong Marcos
Act		Eduardo Punay (OIC)		December 27, 2022	January 31, 2023
29		Rex Gatchalian		January 31, 2023	May 22, 2025

Notes:

• ^A in concurrent capacity as Vice President

External links

• DSWD website