Marcos quit call expanded to all government agency heads

MANILA, Philippines — The first wave of a sweeping government reorganization got underway yesterday, with President Marcos retaining his economic team and the order for courtesy resignations extended to bureau chiefs and heads of agencies of similar level.

A memo, dated May 21 and signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, directed “Cabinet Secretaries, Heads of Agencies of Cabinet rank, other Heads of Agencies, Presidential Advisers/Assistants” to tender their “unqualified courtesy resignation.”

The Presidential Communications Office on Thursday issued a press statement saying that Marcos sought the courtesy resignations of Cabinet secretaries, but there was no mention that the directive included other heads of agencies.

Bersamin said until the President makes a decision on their respective resignations, the concerned officials are to remain in their posts and perform duties and functions.

Marcos let go of some key officials for what Malacañang sees as cases of “underperformance” or “under delivery.”

Bersamin said Finance Secretary Ralph Recto, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, Trade Secretary Cristina Roque and Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs Frederick Go would stay in their respective posts.

Bersamin, who was retained by the President, said this was the first action taken by the President due to the importance of the economic managers in the country.

“So the President decided to retain these five members of the economic team so that there will be no more problems with perception about where the country is going,” Bersamin said at a press conference in Malacañang yesterday.

“The marching order of the President is to enhance the economic situation in the eyes of the outside world and here in the Philippines,” he said.

Bersamin’s announcement came a day after Marcos ordered all Cabinet members to submit their courtesy resignations as part of the administration’s recalibration after the midterm elections.

Bersamin said around 52 officials complied with Marcos’ directive and resigned.

In his opening statement, Bersamin said the President declined to accept his courtesy resignation.

“And just this morning, he (Marcos) communicated to me that I have his full backing for as long as I wish to work for him. And that is a very good gesture from the President because that is a sign of his manifestation of his full trust and confidence in myself,” the former chief justice said.

Manalo, Acuzar, Loyzaga replaced

Marcos named Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Maria Theresa Lazaro as the new head of the agency, replacing Enrique Manalo.

Lazaro, whom Bersamin described as a “very capable diplomat,” will assume her post on July 31.

Manalo, meanwhile, will replace Antonio Lagdameo as the country’s permanent representative to the United Nations effective Aug. 1.

The President also named Raphael Lotilla, the current energy secretary, as the new head of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, replacing Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga.

Bersamin said Loyzaga “will rest for now” and “may also be given another Cabinet position at a future time.”

The Department of Energy, in the meantime, will be headed by an officer-in-charge.

Bersamin said Lotilla himself suggested that any of his DOE undersecretaries could stand in as OIC, including Sharon Garin.

Marcos also named Jose Ramon Aliling as the new secretary of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, replacing Jose Rizalino Acuzar. Aliling previously served as DHSUD undersecretary.

Acuzar will be named Presidential Adviser for Pasig River Improvement with the rank of secretary, according to Bersamin.

Bersamin said there was no issue of corruption against Loyzaga, but he said the “recurring” perception that reached Malacañang was that she was always out of the country.

“Let’s not judge her…but the evaluation showed that it was time to have her rest first,” he said.

The same is the case with Acuzar, as there was no corruption issue but “under delivery,” he said.

Bersamin said Acuzar might have set too high a standard for himself, referring to his target of building one million socialized housing units per year.

He said there might have been obstacles in Acuzar’s way that were beyond government control, leading to missed targets.

“To us… because of the results of the elections it’s time for the President to take him (Acuzar) out there and bring another one who might make a better performance,” he said.

High-caliber committee evaluating officials

The fate of the remaining Cabinet members remains unknown as they are undergoing evaluation by a committee whose members Bersamin described as “objective” and of “high caliber.”

Bersamin refused to give a timetable for the evaluation but stressed that it will be done in an “immediate” and “careful” manner.

“You’ve heard the President, (he wants it) ‘immediate.’ But you know, humanly possible the evaluation is one at a time,” he said. “You must also be careful with the evaluation. You can’t be arbitrary.

“You can be sure the President wants to be responsive for popular clamor, for performance, for change,” Bersamin said.

BIR, BOC, NBI chiefs tender resignation

The heads of the country’s revenue agencies have joined fellow government officials who submitted courtesy resignations to President Marcos.

In separate statements, Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) commissioner Romeo Lumagui and Bureau of Customs (BOC) chief Bienvenido Rubio said they have tendered their resignations.

Apart from Cabinet secretaries, Marcos’ order for courtesy resignations included heads of agencies.

Lumagui said he supports Marcos’ call for accountability in public service.

He added that his resignation will give Marcos a free hand in evaluating his performance in pursuit of improving services under the administration.

Rubio, on the other hand, said he remains in full support of the President’s policies and reforms for national progress and development.

It was in November 2022 when Marcos appointed tax lawyer Lumagui to the BIR. Rubio, meanwhile, assumed office in February 2023.

Jaime Santiago submitted

this Friday his courtesy resignation as director of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), following orders from the President.

The NBI chief, who came into office in June 2024, only received Bersamin’s latest memorandum around 6 p.m. yesterday, he told The STAR.

“Upon your acceptance, [I] will immediately begin the process of turning over in an orderly manner all the matters pending in my office,” Santiago, a retired judge, said in his letter to the President, which he sent right after receiving the memorandum.

“It has been an honor to be a part of your government, Mr. President. I will continue to serve the Filipino people alongside you toward a Bagong Pilipinas,” Santiago added.

Continue performing duties

Education Secretary Sonny Angara will continue performing his functions despite his courtesy resignation following the presidential directive to all Cabinet-level officials, the Department of Education said yesterday.

DepEd media relations chief Dennis Legaspi said Angara will even accompany the Chief Executive during today’s opening of the Palarong Pambansa in Laoag, Ilocos Norte.

“Our secretary will continue performing his functions. Our preparations for the upcoming new school opening is in full-blast, especially we only have less than one month,” Legaspi said.

Regardless of his fate, Secretary Renato Solidum of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) assured stakeholders that the agency’s programs and initiatives would remain unaffected by the Cabinet overhaul.

“What we did in the DOST is to develop a very good strategic program,” Solidum told reporters on Friday during a press conference for the 3rd International Smart City Exposition and Networking Engagement at the Isabela Convention Center.

“My role as DOST secretary is to set them in a direction that will be more impactful and institutionalize our efforts,” he stressed.

Marcos should include in the revamp the Presidential Communication Office (PCO) amid the breakdown on the government’s messaging, according to former presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda.

In an interview with “Storycon” on One News on Thursday, Lacierda backed the decision of Marcos ordering all members of the Cabinet to submit their courtesy resignations.

He added that the PCO failed to justify the arrest of detained former president Rodrigo Duterte.

“The big problem is the messaging amid the ill-timed arrest of Duterte. The disenchantment against the government was further aggravated,” Lacierda said. — Jose Rodel Clapano, Bella Cariaso, EJ Macababbad, Louise Maureen Simeon