43-year-old Kim Robert de Leon as the new budget secretary.
DEPUTY Speaker Jay Khonghun of Zambales on Monday lauded the appointment by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. of 43-year-old Kim Robert de Leon as his new budget secretary.
“The President brings in young blood and a fresh outlook in his Cabinet with Secretary de Leon’s appointment,” Khonghun said.
The new appointee is an assistant professor at the University of the Philippines-Diliman.
Khonghun said though De Leon came from the academe, he is not new in public service, having served in the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) as undersecretary from September 2021 to July 2022 and holding the same position at the Department of Transportation from July 2022 to January 2024.
He said the new budget secretary also has impressive academic and professional credentials.
“We hope he brings to DBM fresh energy, vitality, and ideas, which he will need in helping the President put together a national spending program that will address the ongoing oil crisis and economic slowdown and provide assistance and relief to our suffering people,” he said.
He pointed out that De Leon assumes the DBM top post at a most opportune time since the executive branch is preparing the proposed national budget for 2027, which the President is expected to present to Congress after his State of the Nation Address in July.
“Though the budget call starts in the first quarter, he still can have his inputs in the preparation of the spending program. We expect to soon see his imprint on budgeting and fiscal management,” he added.
According to a Palace announcement, De Leon is the youngest member of the Cabinet and the youngest ever budget secretary.
He graduated magna cum laude from UP with a degree in public administration in 2014.
He later completed a master’s degree in urban and regional planning in 2019 at the same state university.
He topped the 2016 Environmental Planning Licensure Examination.
He earned a certificate in business process management from Queensland University of Technology in Australia.
