Rex Gatchalian’s Trust Rating Is a Mandate, Not Just an Award

When a government official earns the highest public trust and performance rating among Cabinet secretaries, the recognition should mean more than a congratulatory message. It should be treated as a responsibility to do even more for the people who depend on government.

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian has emerged as the country’s top-performing and most trusted Cabinet official, receiving an 88.2 percent Index of Governance (IOG) rating in the latest assessment. The rating placed him first among Cabinet officials and reflected strong public confidence in his performance.

The Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) was therefore right to congratulate Gatchalian. The recognition is particularly meaningful because the DSWD is at the frontline of government assistance for poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged Filipinos, including millions of children who depend on public programs for food, education, health and protection.

But high ratings should never become a reason for complacency. They should become a challenge to maintain the trust that produced them.

Under Gatchalian, the DSWD has continued to expand programs aimed at vulnerable sectors. The department has also been preparing new social support initiatives for 2026, including programs focused on youth, persons with disabilities and child protection.

The department is likewise continuing programs that directly affect children and families. Its social protection efforts include assistance for education, health and livelihood, while its food-related programs seek to provide better nutrition for children from vulnerable households. 

For children, however, government success must be measured beyond statistics. A truly child-friendly Philippines is one where children are protected from abuse, hunger, exploitation and neglect; where poor families can access assistance without humiliation; and where social workers have enough resources to respond quickly when children are in danger.

That is why Gatchalian’s high trust rating should be viewed as a public mandate. Filipinos are essentially saying that they expect the DSWD to deliver.

The challenge now is to convert public confidence into lasting results. Trust is difficult to earn but easy to lose. For Secretary Gatchalian, the best response to this recognition is not simply to celebrate it, but to work harder so that every Filipino child and family can feel that government truly cares.

The CWC’s congratulations are well deserved. But perhaps the bigger message is this: when people give a public servant their trust, that trust must be returned through service.