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Jean Mangaluz - Philstar.com
May 22, 2025 | 3:19pm
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made a surprising order for his Cabinet secretaries to submit their resignations as part of an ongoing performance review — but who exactly is covered by this directive?
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro made the distinction on Thursday, May 22.
“With his bold reset, the Marcos administration signals a new face – sharper, faster and fully focused on the people’s pressing needs. So, hindi na po natin siguro ikakagulat ang pagtawag po ng courtesy resignation ng pangulo sa kaniyang mga cabinet secretaries, heads of agencies with cabinet rank, other heads of agencies and presidential advisers and assistants,” she said in a Palace briefing on May 22.
(With his bold reset, the Marcos administration signals a new face – sharper, faster and fully focused on the people’s pressing needs. So, let us not be surprised that the president called for a courtesy resignation of his cabinet secretaries, heads of agencies with cabinet rank, other heads of agencies and presidential advisers and assistants.)
So whose resignations are we expecting?
Cabinet secretaries, heads of agencies
Appointed Cabinet secretaries serve as the president’s alter egos, exercising his authority within their respective departments and advising him in their areas of expertise.
The Constitution lists the members of the Cabinet as the Executive Secretary, Secretary of Agrarian Reform, Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary of Budget and Management, Secretary of Education, Secretary of Energy, Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources, Secretary of Finance, Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Secretary of Health, Secretary of Justice, Secretary of Labor and Employment, Secretary of National Defense, Secretary of Public Works and Highways, Secretary of Science and Technology, Secretary of Social Welfare and Development, Secretary of the Interior and Local Government, Secretary of Trade and Industry, Secretary of Transportation and Communications, Secretary of Tourism, Commission on Higher Education, and the Secretary of the National Economic and Development Authority.
The secretaries of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development and the Department of Migrant Workers are also members of the Cabinet.
The aforementioned departments also have numerous agencies attached to them, all with their respective heads.
For example, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources would fall under the Department of Agriculture, while the Bureau of Customs would fall under the Department of Finance. The Department of Interior and Local Government have several peace-keeping agencies beneath it, including the Philippine National Police, the Bureau of Fire Protection, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and more.
There are also agencies that are directly under the Office of the President:
Presidential advisers, assistants and more
Other than those with the title of secretary, there are several other positions within the Cabinet.
On the president’s website, the National Security Adviser, the Solicitor General, the Chief Presidential Legal Counsel, the Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs, the Special Assistant to the President and the Head of the Presidential Management Staff are listed as members of the Cabinet.
The president has multiple advisers: Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity, Presidential Adviser for Poverty Alleviation and the Presidential Assistant for Maritime Concerns.
