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The Honorable
Dinky Soliman
The Honorable Dinky Soliman
	Soliman in 2015
23rd Secretary of Social Welfare and Development
	In office; June 30, 2010 – June 30, 2016
President	Benigno S. Aquino III
Preceded by	Celia Capadocia-Yangco
Succeeded by	Judy Taguiwalo (Ad interim)
	In office; January 20, 2001 – July 8, 2005
President	Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
Preceded by	Dulce Saguisag
Succeeded by	Esperanza Cabral
Personal details
Born	Corazón Victoria Nerves Juliano; January 27, 1953; Tarlac City, Philippines
Died	September 19, 2021 (aged 68); Quezon City, Philippines
Nationality	Philippines
Spouse	Hector Soliman
Children	Sandino Soliman ; Marikit Soliman
Alma mater	University of the Philippines Diliman ; Harvard University
Profession	Social worker

Corazon Victoria "Dinky" Nerves Juliano-Soliman (January 27, 1953 – September 19, 2021) was a Filipina politician, activist and social worker who served as Secretary of Social Welfare and Development twice, under President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo from 2001 to 2005, and President Benigno Aquino III from 2010 to 2016.

Early life and education

Soliman was born on January 27, 1953, in Tarlac City, Philippines. After completing her secondary education at the College of the Holy Spirit of Tarlac,^[1] she attended University of the Philippines Diliman where she obtained her B.S. in Social Work and Master of Social Work degrees.^[1]^[3] She also attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where she earned her Master of Public Administration.^[1]

Prior to being in the government, Soliman has worked for several decades as an activist & social worker for various non-governmental organizations that aided poor communities.^[4]

Career

In the aftermath of the 2001 EDSA revolution, Soliman was appointed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who was formerly Vice President, as the Department of Social Welfare and Development secretary for her new cabinet, Soliman held the position for four years but later resigned in 2005 in protest of the Hello Garci scandal, following allegations that Arroyo had cheated in the 2004 Philippine presidential election.^[5]

She was once again appointed in the same position and served again as the social welfare head under the administration of President Benigno Aquino III during his whole six-year term as president. During her tenure as the social welfare secretary under the Aquino administration, she bolstered the implementation of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and also chaired Aquino's cabinet group on Human Development and Poverty Reduction.^[5]

On June 28, 2012, Soliman initiated anti-poverty programs and inaugurated the construction of a new daycare center and a concrete road for the residents of Donsol, Sorsogon.^[6] On November 14, 2012, Soliman held charitable activities including a Family Camp for families living in the streets in Metro Manila.^[7]

From 2013, Soliman notably led the Typhoon Haiyan relief efforts at Tacloban alongside Interior Secretary Mar Roxas until the tail end of her term. On 2014, Soliman was criticized because some food packs in the typhoon relief that were lost to spoilage due to "improper handling" were still distributed to evacuees of Mayon Volcano's renewed activity, in a fault she admitted.^[8] It led to several groups urging her to resign for being "inefficient" including Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago who tried to prevent her confirmation as the secretary of welfare and called her "dangerous" because of being previously allied to former President Arroyo.^[9]^[10]

In May 2015, Soliman was among the awardees of the World Bank's award for leadership in social accountability in a ceremony held in Washington, D.C.^[11]

Illness and death

By June 2021, Soliman was seen in public and noticeably lost weight^[12] when she paid her tributes to President Benigno Aquino III in his wake and funeral that marked her last public appearance.^[13]

In August 2021, Soliman, her husband Hector and thirteen other family members^[14] contracted COVID-19. However, at the age of 68, Soliman died on September 19, 2021, after succumbing to renal and heart failure, as well as COVID-19.^[15]^[3]^[16] Her death was confirmed in a statement announced by Vice President Leni Robredo.^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Ong, Ghio; Flores, Helen (April 10, 2011). "Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman: The color of her commitment". Philstar.com. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
^ Mallorca, Hannah (September 19, 2021). "'Her passing ends a chapter in a Civil Society': Friends, allies mourn death of ex-DSWD chief Dinky Soliman". The Philippine Star. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Former DSWD secretary Dinky Soliman dies, 68". www.rappler.com. September 19, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
^ "Cause of death, Former DSWD secretary Dinky Soliman dead, 68". en.memesrandom.com. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
^ ^a ^b Calica, Aurea (June 9, 2010). "Various names being floated for Noynoy's cabinet". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on June 3, 2010. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
^ "Secretary Soliman inaugurates anti-poverty projects in Donsol, Sorsogon". www.officialgazette.gov.ph. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
^ "DSWD hold Family Camp for street families in NCR". wofficialgazette.gov.ph. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
^ "DSWD admits some rotten relief goods given to Mayon evacuees". rappler.com. October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
^ Gabieta, Aurelio, Joey A., Julie M. (September 12, 2014). "Dinky Soliman, told to quit, says 'read whole report'". Inquirer.net. Retrieved September 12, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Calonzo, Andreo. "Despite illness, Miriam to block Soliman's confirmation anew". www.gmanetwork.com. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
^ "Soliman cited by WB for leadership in social accountability". news.abs-cbn.com. Retrieved May 14, 2015.
^ "Post on Twitter".
^ "Post on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
^ Franco, Bernie V. "SURVIVOR'S STORY: How lawyer Hector Soliman and his family of 13 win battle vs COVID-19". PEP.ph. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
^ "In Memoriam". January 12, 2022.
^ "Ex-DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman dies at 68". The Filipino Times. September 19, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2021.

Government offices
Preceded by Celia Capadocia-Yangco	Secretary of Social Welfare and Development 2010–2016	Succeeded by Judy Taguiwalo (Ad interim)
Preceded by Dulce Saguisag	Secretary of Social Welfare and Development 2001–2005	Succeeded by Esperanza Cabral