President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has appointed Sharon Garin as the new Secretary of the Department of Energy (DOE), Malacañang announced Thursday.

Presidential Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro announced Garin’s appointment as Secretary of the Department of Energy (DOE) during a Palace press briefing.

“Secretary Garin is a lawyer and CPA (Certified Public Accountant) with extensive public service experience. Having served as a multi-term Iloilo representative and DOE undersecretary, with a strong background in energy policy and legislation to advance accessible, reliable, and sustainable energy for our people,” Castro said.

Garin, who has been serving as DOE officer-in-charge since May 2025, formally takes the helm from Raphael Lotilla, who has been appointed Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Before she was appointed OIC, she had been an undersecretary of the DOE since 2022.

A native of Iloilo, Secretary Garin holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management (Accounting) from the University of the Philippines – Iloilo.

She also holds a Juris Doctor from the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from ESADE Business School in Spain.

Prior to her appointment as DOE Secretary, Garin represented the AAMBIS-Owa Partylist in the House of Representatives from 2010 to 2022.

During her tenure as a lawmaker, she served as deputy speaker from 2016 to 2019, chaired the House Committee on Economic Affairs from 2019 to 2020, and again chaired the committee from 2021 to 2022. | PND