PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has picked Virginia Orogo as the acting chief of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Duterte signed Orogo's appointment paper on Tuesday, May 8, but this was released by Malacañang on Thursday, May 10.

Orogo replaced former Social Welfare secretary Judy Taguiwalo, whose ad interim appointment was rejected by the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA) on August 16, 2017.

Since Taguiwalo failed to gain the CA nod, the DSWD was under the supervision of Undersecretary Emmanuel Leyco, who was tapped by Duterte on August 19 last year as the agency's officer-in-charge.

Orogo was the Social Welfare undersecretary for special concerns prior to her new appointment.

Meanwhile, Duterte on May 8 re-appointed Eliseo Rio Jr. as acting secretary of the Information and Communications Technology department.

Duterte appointed Rio last year when former Information and Communications Technology secretary Rodulfo Salalima resigned in September last year upon the President's directive. (Ruth Abbey Gita/SunStar Philippines)