Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian underscored the importance of humility, listening and community ownership in any style of leadership as he addressed hundreds of local officials and education advocates during the 2026 W. SyCip National Education Summit at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) on Wednesday.
With the theme “Seize the day and live your dream,” the first day of the two-day summit brought together governors, mayors, local officials and educators to discuss transformative leadership in education governance.
In his message, Gatchalian reflected on his journey from serving six years as congressman to leading Valenzuela City as mayor for nine years, and now heading the DSWD, emphasizing that leadership is shaped not by authority alone, but also by the people whom leaders serve.
“Whenever we talk about leadership in the context of seizing the day or whenever we talk about leadership styles, we always talk about, there’s always that question – Is it the leader that defines the people, or is it the people that define the leader? Is your leadership style defined by yourself? Or, do the people around you define it for you? Ako Me), I’d like to think that it’s the people defining your leadership style,” Gatchalian said.
The DSWD chief noted that the first step toward effective leadership is accepting limitations.
“Leaders like myself should accept that we don’t know everything. We don’t have a monopoly to the right answers. That is the first step. The realization na hindi mo kayang ibigay ang sagot sa lahat (that you cannot provide everything),” he said.
He also stressed that listening is critical, especially for those in positions of authority.
“You also have to start telling yourself to slow down and to listen. Listen, listen, listen. When you go into a room, you come with this air of confidence, and when you open your mouth, everybody just keeps quiet. So, the trick there I learned is to go in, introduce yourself, keep quiet, and listen,” Gatchalian said.
Drawing from Valenzuela’s award-winning Education 360 program, Gatchalian also emphasized the importance of making stakeholders part of the solution.
“Make people believe that they’re part of the solution. You can inspire people to work towards a solution if they are part of the solution itself. You don’t shove it down their throats, but rather you ask them, paano ba natin ayusin ito (how are we going to address this)?,” the DSWD chief explained.
Gatchalian likewise highlighted the need for persistence in public service, citing the creation of the Walang Gutom Program under the DSWD as an example of overcoming bureaucratic roadblocks.
“As government workers, lagi mo maririnig yung ‘imposible ho yan,’ ‘mahirap ho yan,’ ‘hindi ho yan pwede,’ ‘bawal po yan’ (you will always hear ‘that’s impossible,’ ‘that’s difficult,’ ‘that’s not allowed,’ “that’s illegal’). But we kept on doing it. After 6 months, we managed to create the Department’s first new line item, which is the Walang Gutom Program. So ang punto ko doon, you have to be relentless. Roadblocks will always be there, pero (but) you just have to be very relentless,” he said.
Gatchalian ended his message by underscoring that true leadership ensures sustainability beyond one’s term in office.
“We have to make things sustainable. We have to make sure that the programs outlive us by finding other champions of change or agents of change. And hindi tayo yun. Huwag natin isipin na tayo lang ang may alam na tayo lang ang magpatuloy nitong program (And that’s not us. Don’t think that we are the only ones who know how to continue this program),” he said. (PNA)