‘Daldal nang daldal ‘yan’: Bersamin fires back at Rodriguez

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May 23, 2025 | 6:17pm

MANILA, Philippines — It’s a verbal showdown between former and current executive secretaries (ES) as incumbent ES Lucas Bersamin hits back at his predecessor, Vic Rodriguez, saying the latter "talks too much."

Rodriguez had criticized President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s call for mass courtesy resignations, claiming the president’s leadership was the real issue.

But Bersamin, whose own resignation was recently declined by Marcos, said Rodriguez was quickly removed from office for a reason.

“When you see, in the middle of night, a dog barking at the fence. If you want to get up, you get up and throw stones at that dog. But we will not do that to him,” Bersamin said. 

He said it was better to ignore Rodriguez. 

Rodriguez was Marcos’ first ES before Bersamin, serving from June to September 2022. After his removal from Marcos’ Cabinet, Rodriguez had turned into a staunch critic of the current president. 

Rodriguez ran and consequently failed to get a senatorial seat in the 2025 midterm polls, despite being endorsed by Marcos’ political rival Vice President Sara Duterte.

Marcos is currently shuffling his Cabinet following a dismal performance from his senatorial slate in the elections. Several secretaries have already been declared safe from the axe apart from Bersamin. The president is keeping his current roster of economic chiefs.