Marcos appoints veteran diplomat Manalo as new DFA chief

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed veteran diplomat Enrique Manalo as the new Secretary of Foreign Affairs on Friday.

Manalo, a career diplomat with over four decades of experience, succeeds Teodoro Locsin Jr. and will lead the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

He was sworn in at Malacañang Palace and is the first full-time career diplomat to head the DFA in nearly two decades.

Previously, Manalo served as acting foreign secretary from March 9 to May 17, 2017, and has been the Philippines' Permanent Representative to the United Nations since 2020.