MANILA — Senator Loren Legarda on Monday said that she is “thinking about” accepting a job as Cabinet secretary in the Duterte administration if it should be offered to her when her term ends.
“Can I say I am thinking about it?” Legarda said in an interview over ANC answering the question if she was willing to be the next Social Welfare and Development chief.
Legarda was privy to details noting that she was not certain whether she is allowed to comment on reports that a cabinet position was indeed being offered to her.
However, she said that being mum about the report “will probably spill the beans.”
“Let’s just say that I would want to exercise very strong oversight functions over a department that is very important, that takes care of the needs of the people,” Legarda said.
Asked again if she would be open to head the DSWD, she dodged the question and instead said that she was willing to do oversight functions with all other government departments.
“It is a very important department that should take care of the poorest and most vulnerable populations,” the senator said.
Legarda later said that she appreciated the chance to be able to serve as a chair of the Senate Committee on Finance.
“I think that the President (Rodrigo Duterte) hopefully appreciates the work we do — not just myself but the whole Senate and I hope to continue and finish the 2019 budget,” she added.
Duterte has yet to appoint a new DSWD chief after former Secretary Judy Taguiwalo was rejected. Undersecretary Emmanuel Leyco is currently the agency’s officer-in-charge.
Reports showed that he made an informal offer to a lady senator he did not name. (PNA)
