FORMER Gabriela representative Luz Ilagan said that she is grateful and humbled with her recent appointment as Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) undersecretary.
"I feel grateful and humbled that the president still has trust and confidence in my abilities to carry out the responsibilities of the position he has thought of. I appreciate the fact that he has appointed me to a very critical position, I appreciate it very much. He believes I can do something in that agency," Ilagan told SunStar Davao in a phone interview Friday, September 15.
She said that as she was appointed last Thursday she still needs to go to Manila to know her role in the national agency.
She added that she cannot have plans for the agency as she was only appointed undersecretary.
"I cannot have plans. I was only appointed yesterday and I still have to go to Manila para malaman kung ano ang set-up doon diba. It's not for me, because I am only undersecretary. It's not kung ano ang gusto kong mangyari, ang dapat mangyari is ma-fullfill ng DSWD ang kanyang mandate. It is an executive agency and its mandate is to supervise relief assistance to the marginalized sectors not only during times of calamity and disaster to help people, kasali na diyan senior citizens, women and children so it is not for me [to plan], it is for me to follow, implement, kung ano ang nakalagay na mandate ng dswd kung ano ang nakalagay na responsibilities ng position that is I am supposed to do," she said.
President Rodrigo Duterte on September 13, 2017 issued the appointment of Ilagan.
Ilagan will replace Judy Taguiwalo who was rejected by the Commission on Appointments as DSWD secretary.