All appointees required to submit performance reviews

Malacañang has issued a directive requiring performance reviews for all presidential appointees, including those appointed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., to ensure the competence and effectiveness of government officials.

The directive, which the Presidential Management Staff issued on 2 February but went viral on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, asked all heads of departments and agencies to submit their updated personal data sheet, clearances, and other documents from several government agencies.

The memo added that the appointees should obtain clearances from the Civil Service Commission, National Bureau of Investigation, Office of the Ombudsman, and Sandiganbayan.

According to the memo, the presidential appointees must submit their documents to the PMS within 30 days of the memorandum's issuance.

However, the memorandum's release coincided with the ongoing rifts and disagreements between Marcos and his predecessor, former president Rodrigo Duterte.

"This review process is not meant to be punitive," Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil clarified to Palace reporters in a Viber message.

"It is an opportunity for us to assess the performance of our appointees, identify areas for improvement, and ultimately ensure they are delivering on the President's mandate," Garafil added.

Tensions escalated into a public feud during the last week of January as conflicts over constitutional changes strained the relationship between the Marcoses and the Dutertes.

In what seems like a coordinated political offensive, the Duterte family launched a derogatory attack on Marcos, with ex-president Duterte accusing him of being a drug addict—an insinuation he had previously hinted at.

Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte also called for Marcos Jr.'s resignation, attributing an alleged rise in crime to him and accusing the president of laziness.

While Marcos remained mum on the younger Duterte's comments, the Chief Executive countered his predecessor's drug addiction allegation by suggesting his predecessor binged on fentanyl.