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Helen Flores - The Philippine Star
May 26, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The ongoing reorganization of President Marcos could affect more officials and appointees, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said yesterday.
According to Bersamin, Marcos is prioritizing the evaluation of heads of agencies directly involved in basic services.
“There are some offices that are not involved in people’s daily lives, like research groups and such,” he said in an interview.
Bersamin reiterated that the evaluation is being done one at a time.
“Obviously, this is a process. We can’t make a lump sum judgment on them,” he said in Filipino.
Bersamin said his May 21 memorandum directed “Cabinet secretaries, heads of agencies of Cabinet rank, other heads of agencies, Presidential advisers/assistants” to tender “unqualified courtesy resignation.”
At a press conference at Malacañang on Friday, Bersamin announced the first wave of the Cabinet revamp, with the President retaining his economic team.
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 kept their respective posts.
“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 was also retained by the President.
Marcos ordered last week the courtesy resignations as the results of the 2025 midterm elections showed that the public was “disappointed” with government performance.
Shortlist for next PNP chief
Meanwhile, Bersamin said the President already has a shortlist of names to replace Philippine National Police chief Gen. Rommel Marbil.
Marbil, whose term was ex[1]tended by four months amid the midterm polls, is expected to end his term on June 7.
Marcos has named Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla as the new head of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), replacing Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga.
Bersamin confirmed the development in a press briefing, stating that Loyzaga is set to “take a rest” from her duties, while Lotilla – described by Bersamin as a “legal luminary” – will move from the Department of Energy (DOE) to assume the DENR post.
“There has been a perception, I don’t know if fair or unfair, that she is more frequently out of the country. That is the recurring concern being brought to us.” Bersamin said, citing concerns about the secretary’s frequent travels abroad.
Sen. Raffy Tulfo previously criticized Loyzaga for what he described as “excessive foreign travel,” alleging that the DENR’s travel budget had ballooned to around P1.1 billion.
Loyzaga, a former climate policy advocate, had previously drawn scrutiny over allegations concerning her family’s alleged landholdings in the Busuanga Pasture Reserve. Critics raised conflict-of-interest concerns over the reported 40,000 hectares linked to her family.
The outgoing DENR chief has clarified that her family has never owned nor been involved in the Busuanga Pasture Reserve in Palawan, dismissing conflict-of-interest allegations as baseless and politically motivated.
Lotilla announced on Thursday that he submitted his resignation to express his support for the administration. Lotilla was appointed secretary of the DOE in 2022.
Meanwhile, the Federation of Free Workers (FFW) yesterday expressed dismay over Marcos’ decision to retain his economic managers, whom they blamed for the crisis the administration is currently facing.
FFW president Sonny Matula said Marcos’ plummeting trust ratings are a direct result of flawed, anti-worker economic policies that have failed to uplift the lives of ordinary Filipinos.
Matula urged the President to abandon the low-wage policy, and immediately certify as urgent the proposed P200 across-the-board wage increase.
