Palace confirms Jonvic Remulla is next DILG chief

The Presidential Communications Office on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of Juan Victor “Jonvic” Remulla as secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Remulla will take his oath of office on Tuesday morning before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the PCO said in a message sent to reporters.

Prior to his appointment, Remulla was Cavite governor.

Remulla will replace Benhur Abalos who was deemed resigned after formalizing his bid for a Senate seat in the May 2025 elections.

Remulla has been in politics for almost three decades. He started his career as a board member of the Second District of Cavite and in 1998 was elected as vice governor, a post which he held for three terms.

As governor, Remulla ensured equitable health and social services, relevant quality education, socialized housing units, peace and order, and a disaster-resilient community in Cavite.

The former governor took his primary education at the De La Salle University and finished his secondary education at the Ateneo de Manila University. He also attended the University of the Philippines-Diliman where he earned his degree in Philosophy.

Remulla is the brother of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin ''Boying'' Remulla and former journalist Gilbert Remulla.

New Cavite gov

Meanwhile, following Remulla's appointment to the DILG, Vice Governor Athena Bryana Delgado Tolentino is now the governor of Cavite province.

Tolentino, a former city councilor of Tagaytay City, took her oath as the new Cavite governor on Tuesday, October 8. 

At 26, Tolentino is one of the youngest public servants in the country and the first female vice governor and now the first female governor of Cavite.

Tolentino is the daughter of Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) chairman and Tagaytay Mayor Abraham Tolentino and the niece of Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino.

The younger Tolentino vowed to continue the programs and projects of Remulla. —KG/KBK, GMA Integrated News