Secretary of the Interior and Local Government

Secretary of the Interior and Local Government
Kalihim ng Interyor at Pamahalaang Lokal
Official seal of the Department of the Interior and Local Government
Incumbent Jonvic Remulla since May 22, 2025
Style	The Honorable
Member of	Cabinet, National Security Council
Appointer	The president with the consent of the Commission on Appointments
Term length	At the president's pleasure
Inaugural holder	Pascual Alvarez
Formation	March 22, 1897
Website	www.dilg.gov.ph

The secretary of the interior and local government (Filipino: Kalihim ng Interyor at Pamahalaang Lokal) is the member of the Cabinet in charge of the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

The seat of the secretary of the interior and local government is currently held by Jonvic Remulla since 2024.

Powers and functions

• Assist the president in the exercise of general supervision over local governments;
• Advise the president in the promulgation of policies, rules, regulations and other issuances on the general supervision over local governments and on public order and safety;
• Establish and prescribe rules, regulations and other issuances implementing laws on public order and safety, the general supervision over local governments and the promotion of local autonomy and community empowerment and monitor compliance thereof;
• Provide assistance towards legislation regarding local governments, law enforcement and public safety; Establish and prescribe plans, policies, programs and projects to promote peace and order, ensure public safety and further strengthen the administrative, technical and fiscal capabilities of local government offices and personnel;
• Formulate plans, policies and programs which will meet local emergencies arising from natural and man-made disasters; Establish a system of coordination and cooperation among the citizenry, local executives and the department, to ensure effective and efficient delivery of basic services to the public;
• Organize, train and equip primarily for the performance of police functions, a police force that is national in scope and civilian in character. ^[1]

List

Director of the Interior (1897)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
1		Pascual Álvarez (1861–1923)	April 24, 1897	October 31, 1897	Emilio Aguinaldo

Secretary of the Interior (1897)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
2		Isabelo Artacho	November 1, 1897	December 15, 1897	Emilio Aguinaldo

Secretary of the Interior (1898–1899)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
3		Leandro Ibarra	June 23, 1898	December 1898	Emilio Aguinaldo
4		Teodoro Sandiko (1860–1939)	January 21, 1899	May 7, 1899
5		Severino de las Alas	May 7, 1899	November 13, 1899

Secretary of the Interior (1901–1935)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Governor-General
6		Dean Conant Worcester (1866–1924) [2]	September 6, 1901	September 15, 1913	William Howard Taft
					Luke Edward Wright
					Henry Clay Ide
					James Francis Smith
					William Cameron Forbes
					Newton W. Gilbert
7		Winfred Thaxter Denison (1873–1919) [2]	January 27, 1914	March 3, 1916	Francis Burton Harrison
8		Rafael Palma (1874–1939) [2]	January 11, 1917	July 7, 1920
9		Teodoro Kalaw (1884–1940) [2]	July 7, 1920	December 31, 1922
					Charles Yeater
					Leonard Wood
10		Jose P. Laurel (1891–1959) [3]	February 9, 1923	July 17, 1923
11		Felipe Agoncillo (1859–1941) [2]	July 18, 1923	October 1, 1925
12		Honorio Ventura [2]	October 1, 1925	January 16, 1933
					Eugene Allen Gilmore
					Henry L. Stimson
					Eugene Allen Gilmore
					Dwight F. Davis
					George C. Butte
					Theodore Roosevelt Jr.
13		Teófilo Sison (1850–1975) [2]	January 16, 1933	November 15, 1935
					Frank Murphy

Secretary of the Interior (1935–1941)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
(13)		Teófilo Sison (1850–1975)	November 15, 1935	February 5, 1936	Manuel L. Quezon
14		Elpidio Quirino (1890–1956)	February 8, 1936	September 27, 1938
15		Rafael Alunan Sr. (1885–1947)	November 16, 1938	August 29, 1941
16		Francisco Zulueta (1891–1947)	August 29, 1941	December 22, 1941

Commissioner of the Interior (1942–1943)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Chairman of the Philippine Executive Commission
17		Benigno Aquino Sr. (1894–1947)	January 26, 1942	December 4, 1942	Jorge B. Vargas
(10)		Jose P. Laurel (1891–1959)	December 4, 1942	October 14, 1943

Minister of the Interior (1943–1944)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
(10) [a]		Jose P. Laurel (1891–1959)	October 14, 1943	January 1, 1944	Jose P. Laurel

Minister of Home Affairs (1944–1945)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
(10) [a]		Jose P. Laurel (1891–1959)	January 1, 1944	August 24, 1944	Jose P. Laurel
(13)		Teófilo Sison (1850–1975)	August 24, 1944	1945

Secretary of the Interior (1945–1950)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
18		Tomás Confesor (1891–1951)	March 8, 1945	July 10, 1945	Sergio Osmeña
19		Alfredo Montelibano Sr. (1905–1989)	July 11, 1945	May 27, 1946
20		Jose Zulueta (1889–1972)	May 28, 1946	April 17, 1948	Manuel Roxas
21		Sotero Baluyut (1889–1975)	September 21, 1948	December 22, 1950	Elpidio Quirino

Secretary of Local Government and Community Development (1972–1978)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
22		Jose Roño (1923–2002)	January 1, 1973	June 2, 1978	Ferdinand Marcos

Minister of Local Government and Community Development (1978–1982)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
(22)		Jose Roño (1923–2002)	June 2, 1978	February 28, 1982	Ferdinand Marcos

Minister of Local Government (1982–1987)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
(22)		Jose Roño (1923–2002)	February 28, 1982	February 25, 1986	Ferdinand Marcos
23		Nene Pimentel (1933–2019)	February 25, 1986	February 11, 1987	Corazon Aquino

Secretary of Local Government (1987–1990)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
(23)		Nene Pimentel (1933–2019)	February 11, 1987	December 7, 1986	Corazon Aquino
24		Jaime Ferrer (1916–1987)	December 8, 1986	August 2, 1987 [b]
– [c]		Lito Monico Lorenzana	August 3, 1987	November 8, 1987
25		Luis T. Santos	November 9, 1987	December 13, 1990

Secretary of the Interior and Local Government (from 1990)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	President
(25)		Luis T. Santos	December 13, 1990	December 10, 1991	Corazon Aquino
26		Cesar Sarino	December 11, 1991	June 30, 1992
27		Rafael Alunan III (born 1948)	June 30, 1992	April 16, 1996	Fidel V. Ramos
28		Robert Barbers (1944–2005)	April 16, 1996	February 4, 1998
29		Epimaco Velasco (1935–2014)	February 4, 1998	May 30, 1998
– [d]		Sonny Collantes (born 1952)	June 1, 1998	June 30, 1998
30 [a]		Joseph Estrada (born 1937)	June 30, 1998	April 12, 1999	Joseph Estrada
31		Ronaldo Puno (born 1948)	April 12, 1999	January 10, 2000
32		Alfredo Lim (1929–2020)	January 10, 2000	January 20, 2001
– [d]		Anselmo Avelino Jr.	January 20, 2001	January 28, 2001	Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
33		Joey Lina (born 1951)	January 29, 2001	July 11, 2004
34		Angelo Reyes (1945–2011)	July 12, 2004	February 16, 2006
(31)		Ronaldo Puno (born 1948)	April 4, 2006	June 30, 2010
– [e]		Benigno Aquino III (1960–2021)	June 30, 2010	July 9, 2010	Benigno Aquino III
35		Jesse Robredo (1958–2012)	July 9, 2010	August 18, 2012 [b]
– [d]		Paquito Ochoa Jr. (born 1960)	August 19, 2012	September 19, 2012
36		Mar Roxas (born 1957)	September 20, 2012	September 11, 2015
37		Mel Senen Sarmiento (born 1962)	September 14, 2015	June 30, 2016
38		Ismael Sueno (born 1947/1948)	June 30, 2016	April 4, 2017	Rodrigo Duterte
– [d]		Catalino Cuy (born 1957)	April 5, 2017	January 4, 2018
– [d]		Eduardo Año (born 1961) [4]	January 5, 2018	November 6, 2018
39			November 6, 2018	June 30, 2022
40		Benhur Abalos (born 1962) [5] [6]	June 30, 2022	October 7, 2024	Bongbong Marcos
41		Jonvic Remulla (born 1967) [7]	October 8, 2024	Incumbent

Notes

1. In concurrent capacity as President.
2. Died in office.
3. Acting secretary.
4. Officer-in-charge.
5. Officer-in-charge, in concurrent capacity as President.

References

1. "DILG Secretary Powers and Duties".
2. "MASTERLIST OF CABINET SECRETARIES/MINISTERS" (PDF). Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
3. "Jose P. Laurel A Register of His Papers in the Jose P. Laurel Memorial Library-Museum" (PDF). E-LIS repository. Jose P. Laurel Memorial Library. 1982. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
4. "Año is now officially DILG chief". Abs-CBN News. November 5, 2018.
5. "Benhur Abalos next DILG chief". Philippine Daily Inquirer. May 14, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
6. "Who's who: The Marcos Cabinet". Philippine Star. May 24, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
7. "New DILG Secretary Remulla assumes office; banks on decades of local governance experience in running DILG". dilg.gov.ph/. Retrieved October 9, 2024.

External links

• DILG website