MANILA - Malacañang has assigned Social Welfare Assistant Secretary Lorraine Marie Badoy as a communications official, the Department of Social Welfare and Development's (DSWD) interim head said Wednesday.

In a statement, DSWD officer-in-charge Emmanuel Leyco said Badoy has been designated as an Undersecretary at the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO).

"Asec. Badoy has informed me as OIC-Secretary at DSWD of this development earlier and is now in the process of completing and turning over her responsibilities, which is expected to last until the end of the month," he said.

"I thank Asec. Badoy for her contributions to DSWD and I am confident that she will be able to bring her effectiveness as a communicator to her new assignment as Usec. at PCOO," he added.

Badoy is a medical doctor and a staunch supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte. She was appointed as assistant secretary of the DSWD in February.

In March, Badoy drew criticism after she said that instead of sounding the alarm on the thousands of deaths in the drug war, those from the European Union (EU) should just engage in online child pornography and that opposition figures Vice President Leni Robredo and Senator Antonio Trillanes IV should take up other hobbies.

"Learn a craft. Mag-gantsilyo club muna kayo, Trillanes, Leni, etc. Bake ng red velvet cupcakes. Tapos yung mga taga EU, mag online child porn muna kayo. Dyan naman kayo magaling eh. (Wow. Uproar.)," she said in a Facebook post.

Former Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman earlier asked the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to reprimand Badoy over social media posts that are "unbecoming of a civil servant."