Appointing multi-billionaires to the government

The recent appointment of Rex Gatchalian to the DSWD provokes an inevitable question: What does a multi-billionaire know and understand about poverty, social problems, and the overall and lingering anguish of the jobless, the homeless and the hopeless? Just like when Mark Villar was named by former president Duterte as DPWH secretary: What would a housing magnate do in a Cabinet portfolio tasked with building highways and bridges? Above all, are there no conflicts of interest?

Rexlon Ting Gatchalian is another son of the plastic magnate, and now owner of all Waterfront Hotels in the Philippines. Rex was born on January 21, 1979, that makes him 44, not too young and not too old. He was the incumbent congressman representing the first district of Valenzuela, and a former three-term mayor of that city, which has been dominated by the Gatchalian brothers, Win, Wes, and Rex, for the longest time in living memory. Valenzuela should be renamed Gatchalian City, as Las Piñas should be named the city of the Villars and the Aguilars, and Taguig as the kingdom of the Cayetanos, and Parañaque as the sultanate of the Olivarez brothers. This is the Philippines and we are ruled by family dynasties. From small cities, the lords and barons rose to national prominence to be named members of the Cabinet or become senators.

In fairness, Rex is not like some rich man's sons who were sent to Cambridge and Harvard and dropped out. Rex graduated from George Washington University in 2001 with a degree in Political Science, Cum Laude. He added some supplementary studies in Marketing and Psychology. Thus, in 2001, he was named by his father as the vice president for sales and marketing of the Waterfront Hotels and Casinos. Well, there are two in Cebu, one in Davao and a number in Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon. In 2005, he was elected president of that hotel chain because his other siblings were into politics. Rex was elected mayor of Valenzuela from 2013 to 2022. Then he won as congressman of the city's first district and served from 2022 until his appointment last January 31, 2023.

There has been no study conducted on the advantages and disadvantages of appointing the super-rich men and women to high positions. During the time of former president Duterte, the richest Cabinet members were Alfonso Cusi of Energy with a 2020 net worth of ₱1.462 billion and Mark Villar of DPWH with ₱1.402 billion. The other rich Cabinet members then were Carlos Dominguez, Arthur Tugade, and Francisco Duque. Some of the famous and rich BBM Cabinet members are, of course, the vice president, Inday Sara of Education, Enrique Manalo of Foreign Affairs, Benjamin Diokno of Finance, Benhur Abalos of DILG, Manuel Bonoan of DPWH, and our own Maria Esperanza Christina Garcia Frasco of DOT.

US President Dwight Eisenhower, a Republican, once appointed billionaires to his Cabinet that his Cabinet was mockingly referred to as "nine billionaires and a plumber." Donald Trump, also a Republican, the wealthiest American ever to occupy the White House, also followed Eisenhower. In contrast, the Democrats generally appoint high-level professionals and highly-respected academicians. Also, the Democrats are more likely to appoint minorities like African Americans. Appointing wealthy businessmen to the Cabinet is also a way by which the president gains support from the business community. It is noticeable that every time BBM travels abroad a coterie of business moguls always goes with him. This never happened during the time of GMA and FVR. Erap and Duterte did not travel a lot like PBBM.

When the inner circle of the president is dominated by the elite, there is a strong possibility for policies and decisions to become pro-business and anti-labor, pro-rich and anti-poor. With a super-rich man leading DSWD, I do not know how the social welfare and social development programs and projects are going to be implemented. I hope the DSWD is not going to be run like a Waterfront Hotel by this American university cum laude graduate.

Let us give this guy, Rex Gatchalian, a chance to prove all our assumptions wrong. He is a young man with a lot to show us. Let him prove to all and sundry that the rich also know how to care for the least, the last, and the lost. We may have the biggest surprise of our life.