Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary  Judy M. Taguiwalo today responded to media reports regarding her supposed “silence” on the Marcos burial issue and the calls for her resignation from the Duterte government.

“I have not been silent on the issue of the Marcos burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LnmB).  In fact, I spoke at a presscon here in Baguio last Friday and expressed my dismay over it. In the evening I joined other survivors of martial law and students of the University of the Philippines (UP) as they also denounced the development, ” she said.

Sec. Taguiwalo has been in Baguio since Friday morning to lead the DSWD’s National Management Development Conference (NMDC) which is the agency’s annual national assessment and planning meeting.

“I am one with the Filipino people protesting the sudden and sneaky Marcos burial at LnmB. I have said it before and I will say it again, Marcos is not and can never be a hero. Before I was sworn in as a member of his cabinet, Pres. Duterte  was aware of our differences in some issues, including the Marcos burial. Still he appointed me to be part of his official family. I accepted the post in the Duterte government because the Left  finds common grounds on pursuing talks for just and lasting peace, prioritizing social services and the needs of the poor including ending labor contractualization and in forging an independent foreign policy. These are equally important issues which we want PRRD to continue to address in a positive manner,” she said.

Regarding calls that she resigns  from the cabinet as a sign of protest against the burial, Sec. Taguiwalo said the concerns she raised above are the major compelling reasons for her to remain as member of the Duterte administration. She pledges to continue the principal thrusts of the DSWD as a department intent on providing prompt and compassionate services to the poor and marginalized, to treat communities fairly and to combat all forms or corruption. ###