Who is Kim Robert De Leon, the new DBM chief?

Malacañang on Monday announced the appointment of a new secretary of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), naming 32-year-old Kim Robert De Leon as the youngest member of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s Cabinet so far.

De Leon will replace Rolando Toledo, who served as DBM officer-in-charge following the departure of Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman.

Pangandaman, who had headed the DBM since 2022, stepped down supposedly out of "delicadeza" after being implicated in alleged budget insertions related to the flood control fund controversy.

According to the Presidential Communications Office, De Leon previously served as DBM undersecretary from 2021 to 2022, overseeing the Organization and Systems Improvement Group and the Information and Communications Technology Group.

He later served as undersecretary for administration and finance at the Department of Transportation (DOTr) from 2022 to 2024.

De Leon also served as secretary general of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines and obtained his Career Executive Service Eligibility in 2024.

In academe, he worked as an assistant professor at the University of the Philippines National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP-NCPAG), where he taught courses on governmental accounting, auditing, local government administration, and regional administration.

According to Malacañang, De Leon graduated magna cum laude and valedictorian from UP-NCPAG and topped the 2016 Environmental Planning Licensure Examination.

He also holds master’s degrees in Urban and Regional Planning and Public Safety Administration, both earned with academic honors.

In 2021, De Leon completed a certificate program in Business Process Management at the Queensland University of Technology under the Australia Awards scholarship program.

“A career public servant, Secretary De Leon is recognized for his work in fiscal management, organizational reform, and digital transformation,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said during a press briefing on Monday.

De Leon will head the DBM, the agency responsible for formulating the national budget.

He is expected to take his oath of office on Tuesday, May 19. —MCG, GMA News