Malacañang on Saturday said Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin stays part of the Marcos administration, denying speculation that he has stepped down from office.

Presidential Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil told Palace reporters, through Presidential Communications Office Assistant Secretary Wheng Hidalgo, that Bersamin’s resignation rumors are “not true.”

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has installed former Supreme Court chief justice Bersamin as his executive secretary in September 2022, replacing long-time aide, Lawyer Vic Rodriguez.

Malacañang Last Thursday likewise announced new appointments involving various departments under the Marcos administration.

Among the newly hired was former Department of the Interior and Local Government spokeperson and Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya, who was named National Security Council assistant director general.

Malaya has served in nine government agencies, including the Office of the President, the Department of Education and the Office of the Solicitor General.

Former Quezon City councilor Diorella Maria Sotto-Antonio was reappointed as chairperson of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board. She initially held the post since July 2022, but her appointment is set to expire on Sept. 30 this year.

New appointments were also made at the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, the Department of Labor and Employment, the Department of Migrant Workers, the Department of Transportation, government-owned or -controlled corporations, the Office of the President, and the Presidential Management Staff.