MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has administered the oath of office of Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro as the new secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), in a ceremony held at Malacañang Palace.

Lazaro, who most recently served as DFA undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs, formally assumed her post as the country’s top diplomat, replacing Enrique Manalo, who is set to return as the Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York.

Alongside the oath-taking, Marcos also conferred on Lazaro the Order of Sikatuna with the Rank of Datu (Grand Cross), Gold Distinction — one of the highest honors bestowed on diplomats — in recognition of her four decades of “distinguished and dedicated service” to Philippine foreign relations.

“In recognition of her distinguished and dedicated service to the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Philippine government, in a career spanning four decades and marked by exemplary leadership in both bilateral and multilateral diplomacy,” the official citation states.

Lazaro previously served as Philippine ambassador to France and Switzerland, and held key foreign assignments across Europe, the Americas, and the Asia-Pacific. She also served as the country’s permanent delegate to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Lazaro takes the helm of the DFA at a time of growing regional and global diplomatic challenges, particularly in the West Philippine Sea and multilateral engagements across Asia and beyond.