Palace: Cabinet courtesy resignations won’t affect gov’t projects
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro
MANILA, Philippines—Malacañang on Thursday assured the public that the recalibration of Cabinet secretaries will not affect government projects.
At a briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro guaranteed that the administration’s programs would not be halted after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ordered all Cabinet secretaries to submit their courtesy resignations to give way to a revamp of his administration, following the reportedly disappointing results of the midterm elections.
READ: Marcos orders courtesy resignation of all Cabinet secretaries
“The Cabinet secretaries and government personnel will continue working as usual. It would be better if our heads of agencies and Cabinet secretaries also demonstrated that they are aligned with the President’s goals,” Castro said in Filipino.
“As we’ve said, there is no place for the lazy and the corrupt in the administration of President Marcos Jr..” she added.
Castro said that the resigned officials will remain in their posts pending a performance review.
There is no information yet on who will comprise the team that will conduct the review, but Castro said the results will be released as soon as possible.
Earlier in the day, the Presidential News Desk issued a press release announcing Marcos’ order.
READ: Marcos economic team clears way for Cabinet revamp
“It’s time to realign government with the people’s expectations,” Marcos said.
“This is not business as usual,” Marcos added.
“The people have spoken, and they expect results, not politics, not excuses. We hear them, and we will act.”
When asked what specifically prompted Marcos to take such a bold step, Castro said it was the public’s disappointment with the government’s performance.
This, she said, resulted in underwhelming support for administration-backed Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas senstorial candidates.
Castro likewise addressed possible criticism about the timing of Marcos’ undertaking.
“Let’s remember that many have already been removed even before the elections,” said Castro.
“Perhaps the President just felt more strongly during the elections that the administration needs to work faster for the people.”
As of 12:53 p.m., at least 30 Cabinet secretaries and agency heads have submitted or expressed intent to submit their courtesy resignations.
