President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is satisfied with the effectiveness of his current Cabinet secretaries, who he believes continue to work diligently despite recent natural disasters and corruption controversies in government, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said on Wednesday.
These remarks came after Castro was asked about Marcos’ thoughts on the performance of his Cabinet this year, despite resignations linked to alleged corruption in flood control projects.
‘At present, the President sees that his Cabinet Secretaries are working. We have witnessed successive disasters and storms, yet they are still there, continuing to assist our fellow citizens,’ Castro said, speaking Filipino.
‘So, our President is satisfied with all of his Cabinet Secretaries, and as long as they remain in their positions, the President continues to have confidence in them,’ she added in Filipino.
The Palace official also denied circulating reports that Education Secretary Sonny Angara and Information and Communications Technology Secretary Henry Aguda would be removed from their posts.
‘This is denied because just yesterday, they were with us at the Ledac (Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council) meeting, and they also presented their projects during a private meeting with the President,’ she said in a mix of Filipino and English.
Marcos’ Cabinet experienced a major shake-up this year. In May, he requested the courtesy resignations of all Cabinet secretaries to recalibrate his administration following the results of the recent elections.
This was followed by several resignations related to corruption issues plaguing the government. Among the most recent to step down were former Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and former Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, who were both implicated in the flood control controversy. /jpv