Veteran newsman Jerico Francis Javier has been appointed as the new Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Undersecretary for Operations.
Javier, who has worked as a media practitioner for over 25 years, took his oath on Tuesday, August 2.
As a journalist, he has been a staunch proponent of promoting better-living conditions for the Filipinos.
Javier covered the overseas Filipino workers communities in such countries as Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, Macau, China, Singapore, and New Zealand.
Among his notable accomplishments as a newsman was his reporting on illegal drug transactions inside the maximum security compound of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) as a segment producer on TV 5.
He also covered Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Department of National Defense (DND) for almost 10 years for the Journal Group of Publications.
Javier has been working as an executive producer of the Erwin Tulfo Center for Media and Public Service since April 2017.
He also produced investigative reports as a senior segment producer at TV 5 Aksyon Prime News from November 2010 to March 2017.
Javier wrote columns for People’s Tonight since January 2011.
The 39-year-old journalist-turned public servant began his career as a reporter of the Liberty Newspaper from May 1997 to December 1997.
He also worked for People’s Balita from December 1997 to May 1998 and for Philippine Tribune from May 1998 to February 1999.
Javier later worked as a reporter and columnist at Kabayan Newspaper until March 2001.
He then worked at People’s Tonight from April 2001 until November 2010.
During his stint as a reporter, he covered several high-profile events in the Philippines, including the conflict of the Islamic forces, the Marawi siege, Super Typhoon Yolanda, and the controversial Luneta hostage crisis.
Javier was also a motivational educator for journalism issues and topics, having been a professor at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines College of Communication since January 2011.
The new DSWD official earned his Journalism degree in the same institution in 1997.
Javier is currently taking his Master’s degree in Communication at PUP Open University.
He was also a recipient of a one-month study grant for journalists in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from the International Journalism Fellowship (Malaysian Press Institute) from October 5 to 30, 2009.