MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has appointed a veteran migration official with decades of experience to lead the newly formed Department of Migrant Workers, solidifying its leadership after months of being steered by an officer-in-charge.
Hans Leo Cacdac, who had been serving as the department’s undersecretary, was named secretary on Monday, over seven months after he was designated officer-in-charge following the death of Susan “Toots” Ople last August.
Cacdac, 56, is a seasoned hand in the arena of overseas employment and worker welfare, holding a range of senior positions across multiple government agencies over the past two decades.
Prior to the Department of Migrant Workers’ creation in 2022, Cacdac served as undersecretary at the Department of Labor and Employment. He also headed the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration as an executive director.
“Secretary Cacdac’s wealth of experience uniquely qualifies him to lead this vital new department from the front,” Presidential spokesman Trixie Cruz-Angeles said, praising his “comprehensive grasp” of issues impacting overseas Filipino workers.
Cacdac’s previous roles provided deep immersion in advocacy for migrant workers’ rights, welfare programs, employment regulation and labor relations. His experience is expected to benefit the new department’s twin mandates of worker protection and maximizing the benefits of migration.
Notably, Cacdac spent years in the non-profit sector before joining government, serving as a lawyer and coordinator at SALIGAN, which provides legal assistance to urban poor communities.
The Department of Migrant Workers, formed by consolidating offices under the labor department, is intended to provide more focused and streamlined services for over 10 million overseas Filipino workers who remain a bedrock of the Philippine economy through remittances.
