Revamp beyond the Cabinet? Marcos says shakeup not for ‘optics’ 

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'If there is a problem, I like to fix it,' says the Philippine president

Could President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s ongoing “revamp” of government go beyond his Cabinet? The chief executive seemed to hint at this on Tuesday, May 27, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Malaysia.

“If there is a problem, I like to fix it. So, that’s what we are doing. So, expect us to be doing a rigorous performance review, not only at the Cabinet level, but even deeper,” said Marcos.

On May 22, Marcos asked all Cabinet officials — including secretary-ranked appointees — to hand in their courtesy resignations in what the Palace framed as a “bold reset” after an embarrassing showing of administration Senate bets in the 2025 midterms and amid Marcos’ low public trust and approval numbers.

The first casualties of the revamp include Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo, Environment Secretary Toni Loyzaga, and Housing Secretary Jerry Acuzar. Of the three, only Loyzaga was left without a definite post after her Cabinet stint, though Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin had said that she would be given a
Cabinet position “at a future time.”

Manalo is set to be the Philippines’ Permanent Representative to the United Nations by July 31, when Antonio Lagdameo retires, while Acuzar will be Presidential Adviser for Pasig River Rehabilitation.

Bersamin, whose resignation Marcos rejected, said more announcements are forthcoming. Marcos had also chosen to retain his economic team.

In Malaysia, the President declined to say who else would be getting the axe.

“I’ll share with you one thing. That as we were doing the performance review, and when we see shortfalls in performance, I don’t leave it at that. I look and ask why is that the case? And that is why we ask all the heads of agencies to also submit their courtesy resignations because we have to look deeper, not just look at the secretary,” he said.

“The secretaries, I think…. Well, all of them — some have to be moved around, some have chosen to leave or no longer think they can contribute. But in any case, we are looking at the problem deeply. You know, siguro (maybe) by now, you know, I don’t do things pang-optics ((just for optics),” he said.

But there is one issue that visibly provoked Marcos: a question about calls for him to resign, primarily from critics associated with former president Rodrigo Duterte.

“I will resign? Ba’t ko gagawin ‘yun? At wala sa ugali ko ‘yung tinatakbuhan ang problema (Why would I do that? It’s not in my personality to run away from problems.) So, what good will that do?” said the President.

Marcos had earlier said, as a joke, that he was counting the days until the end of his term.

The President has been trying to reset his administration’s message and tone, especially after the 2025 polls. Through interviews released via the Palace, Marcos has said that he wants his administration to focus on delivering on its promises — amid political turmoil between himself, his clan, and his political rivals. – Rappler.com