CA confirms appointment of DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac

 

Screen grab from the DMW's Facebook page

It's official. Hans Leo J. Cacdac is now the secretary of the Department of  Migrant Workers.

The powerful Commission on Appointments chaired by Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero gave its unanimous nod to Cacdac's appointment during its plenary session on Tuesday, Aug. 20.

It took the CA nearly four months to confirm the appointment of Cacdac by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. as secretary on April 25, after serving as the DMW's officer-in-charge for seven months. 

He replaced DMW's founding head, Susan Ople, who died of cancer on August 22, 2023.

After the CA bypassed his nomination on May 21, President Marcos reappointed him as secretary four days later. Malacanang said this demonstrated the president's trust and confidence in Cacdac.

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At the initial deliberation, SAGIP Party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta as well as two oppositors had questioned Cacdac’s alleged failure to respond to the problems faced by distressed OFWs, particularly those facing charges in the Middle East.

But several senators, notably Risa Hontiveros and Ronald dela Rosa, gave Cacdac their full support, citing his decades of experience as a labor official and advocate of OFWs, who always got things done.

The mood changed at the resumption of the hearing, when there were only praises for Cacdac, paving the way for his confirmation as the new DMW secretary.

Cacdac, a lawyer who graduated from Ateneo University and holds a master’s degree from Samford University in Alabama, rose from the ranks at the then Department of Labor and Employment, which used to look after the concerns of OFWs.

Prior to working at DOLE in 2001, Cacdac worked as an associate lawyer and as the urban poor unit coordinator of the Sentro ng Alternatibong Lingap Panligal (Saligan).

At DOLE, he served as director of the Bureau of Labor Relations and administrator of the National Conciliation and Mediation Board, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, before being appointed as undersecretary at the newly formed DMW in 2022.

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