President Rodrigo Duterte said on Friday the has to consult with the congressional leadership as to who will head the newly-created Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development.

In an interview in Malacanang, Duterte said he needs to talk to Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Senator Aquilino Pimentel III and House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

"That would be a long shot because that would also need the - I need to talk to Speaker Arroyo, Senator Pimentel, and Tito Sotto. It's better that they also like the person so that he can have better reception," he said.

Duterte signed on February 14 Republic Act No. 11201 creating the DHSUD, a consolidation of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council and the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board.

Currently, Secretary Eduardo del Rosario is the head of the HUDCC.

DHSUD shall act as the primary national government entity responsible for the management of housing, human settlement, and urban development. It shall be the sole and main planning and policy-making, regulatory, program coordination, and performance monitoring entity for all housing, human settlement and urban development concerns, primarily focusing on the access to and the affordability of basic human needs. Celerina Monte/DMS