Marcos appoints UP prof as new budget secretary
President Marcos has appointed University of the Philippines (UP) professor and technocrat Kim Robert de Leon as secretary of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
At 32, De Leon becomes the youngest member of the Cabinet and takes charge of one of the government’s most powerful fiscal agencies. Palace press officer Claire Castro confirmed the appointment and said De Leon would take his oath today (Tuesday, May 19).
De Leon replaces Budget Undersecretary Rolando Toledo, who was acting secretary since December 2025 after the resignation of Amenah Pangandaman amid a corruption scandal involving multibillion-peso flood control projects.
His appointment comes at a critical time, with the DBM preparing the proposed 2027 national budget while facing growing calls for greater transparency and accountability in public spending.
De Leon is also expected to help secure funding sources for the government’s response to the Middle East crisis and the ongoing energy emergency, including the possible use of pooled government savings.
Passing the baton
The President reassigned Toledo, a seasoned fiscal strategist who started at the DBM in 1987 as accounts analyst, to the Board of Trustees of the Government Service Insurance System.
“I fully respect the wisdom of the President,” Toledo said, expressing confidence in the DBM’s “continued pursuit of sound, transparent, and people-centered governance” under De Leon.
“Rest assured that my commitment to serve our country and the Filipino people, which I have upheld for more than 38 years in public service, remains unchanged,” he added.
Despite his age, De Leon brings extensive academic and government experience. He had served as assistant professor at UP Diliman’s National College of Public Administration and Governance, where he graduated magna cum laude in 2014 with a degree in Public Administration.
He was DBM undersecretary from September 2021 to July 2022, overseeing organization, systems improvement, and ICT operations. He later became undersecretary for administration and finance at the Department of Transportation from July 2022 to January 2024 and also held posts within the Office of the President.
Outside government, De Leon served as secretary general of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines from January 2024 until July 2025. He holds master’s degrees in Urban and Regional Planning from UP and Public Safety Administration from the Philippine Public Safety College, and topped the 2016 Environmental Planning Licensure Examination.
Revamp
De Leon’s appointment has renewed speculation about a broader Cabinet reshuffle, though Malacañang has remained cautious.
Castro said she had no information on plans for a wider reorganization and declined to address calls for the removal of Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla over criticism tied to the arrests of high-profile fugitives, including Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and former Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co.
“I did not observe that the President lost his trust and confidence in Remulla at the moment,” Castro said.
The DBM restructuring traces back to November 2025, when Pangandaman and Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin resigned amid investigations into alleged irregularities in public works and flood control projects.
The controversy intensified after Co claimed that Pangandaman told him that the President wanted a P100-billion insertion in the 2025 national budget, an allegation she strongly denied before stepping down. —WITH A REPORT FROM INQUIRER RESEARCH
