The Palace said Tuesday that Undersecretary Edu Punay is the officer-in-charge of the Department of Social Welfare of Development.

It did not say when the appointment was made and until when Punay is the officer-in-charge. It did not explain what happened to Social Welfare and Development Secretary Erwin Tulfo, who was bypassed twice by the Commission on Appointments.

Punay is a former journalist with the Philippine Star.

In a DSWD statement, it said that ''it welcomes the designation of Usec Edu Punay as OIC of the Department.''

It said Punay's appointment ''is needed to ensure the continuous operations of the agency and that no activities will be derailed or hampered, especially now that we need to provide assistance to those affected by the weather disturbance in the country.'' DMS