President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed Kim Robert De Leon as the new Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management, Malacañang announced Monday.
At a Palace briefing, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Press Officer Claire Castro said De Leon — now the youngest member of the Cabinet — is set to take his oath on Tuesday, May 19.
Castro cited De Leon’s track record in fiscal management, organizational reform, and digital transformation. A magna cum laude graduate and valedictorian of the University of the Philippines National College of Public Administration and Governance, he also topped the 2016 Environmental Planning Licensure Examination.
De Leon earned master’s degrees in Urban and Regional Planning and Public Safety Administration with academic honors, and later completed a Certificate in Business Process Management at Queensland University of Technology through the Australia Awards Scholarship Program.
Before joining the Cabinet, De Leon served as an assistant professor at UP-NCPAG and held senior government posts, including DBM undersecretary overseeing organizational systems and information technology, as well as undersecretary for administration and finance at the Department of Transportation.
Meanwhile, former Acting DBM Secretary Rolando Toledo will join the Board of Trustees of the Government Service Insurance System, the state pension and insurance agency for government workers.
