Carlito Galvez Jr. was introduced by President Bongbong Marcos as a “senior undersecretary” of the Department of National Defense (DND).
PRESIDENT BONGBONG MARCOS – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. confirmed the official title of Carlito Galvez Jr. as head of the Department of National Defense (DND).
Galvez, of the PMA Class 1985, was named as one of 8 recipients of the “Cavalier Pandemic Heroes Award” by the PMA Alumni Association Inc. (PMAAAI) for serving as the vaccine czar and chief implementer of the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 during the coronavirus pandemic outbreak in 2020.
Galvez’s official title as head of DND was finally made clear on Saturday when he was introduced by the President as a “senior undersecretary”.
According to a report, Galvez was tasked to give the introductory speech to welcome the President as the guest of honor and speaker at the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Alumni Homecoming at Fort del Pilar in Baguio City.
After his short introduction, the Commander-in-Chief acknowledged him: “Thank you, Senior USec. [Undersecretary] Carlito Galvez Jr.”
This finally confirmed that Galvez has been leading the Department of National Defense as its Officer-in-Charge (OIC), which is the same title held by his predecessor, resigned DND OIC Jose Faustino Jr.
READ ALSO: President Bongbong Marcos Designates Galvez To Serve As DND Chief
Civil Service Commission (CSC) said that Section 13 (c) of the 2017 Omnibus Rules on Appointments and Other Human Resource Action (Revised 2018) states that government officials who are designated as Officer-in-Charge “enjoy limited powers which are confined to functions of the administration and ensuring that the office continues its usual activities”.
Despite this, Galvez previously said that he doesn’t mind whether he’s appointed as a Defense Secretary or only as OIC with the title “Senior Undersecretary” by the President.
Prior to this, it was last January 9 when Malacanang had announced that the President has designated Galvez to lead the DND as its Secretary following the resignation of Faustino because of the abrupt changes in the leadership of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
But according to a report, rumors that Galvez was given by the President only the title “senior undersecretary” circulated later that month.
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