ILOILO City – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed Atty. Sharon Garin as the new Secretary of the Department of Energy (DOE), making her the first woman from Iloilo and the first former party-list lawmaker to assume the top post in the energy department.
The appointment was announced Thursday, July 10, by Palace press officer Undersecretary Claire Castro, following more than a month of Garin serving as DOE officer-in-charge after the transfer of former Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
“Secretary Garin is a lawyer and CPA (Certified Public Accountant) with extensive public service experience, having served as a multi-term Iloilo representative (representing the party-list AAMBIS-OWA) and DOE Undersecretary with a strong background on energy policy and legislation to advance accessible, reliable, and sustainable energy for our people,” said Castro.
Garin was appointed DOE Undersecretary in September 2022. During her stint, she chaired the Nuclear Energy Program Coordinating Committee and oversaw Financial and Legal Services while also serving as the department’s Legislative Liaison.
She was designated officer-in-charge of the DOE just this June 16.
Prior to joining the executive branch, Garin served as congresswoman from 2010 to 2022. She was the first party-list representative to be elected Deputy Speaker and the first female Deputy Speaker from Iloilo province.
Garin holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from the University of the Philippines Visayas-Iloilo, a law degree from Ateneo de Manila School of Law, and an International MBA from ESADE Business School in Spain./PN
