IT'S TORRE'S TIME! New Cabinet shakeup reaches PNP, CHED, and OSG

On Thursday afternoon, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin announced the second wave of senior government officials being replaced, signaling a broader shakeup within the Marcos administration after the first batch of changes were announced last week.

Police Major General Nicolas Torre has been named the next chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), succeeding Police General Rommel Francisco Marbil. Torre currently heads the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).

When asked why Torre was chosen despite holding only a two-star rank, Bersamin declined to elaborate, stating that the details are confidential.

Marbil is set to retire on 7 June after having already received an extension past the mandatory retirement age of 56. He was originally due to retire in February but remained in service through the 2025 midterm elections.

In recent public remarks, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. praised the PNP's performance under Marbil, noting that crime in Metro Manila had dropped by 23 percent. From 1 January to 16 May, PNP data shows that the crime index fell from 15,156 incidents in 2024 to 11,493 this year.

Torre has expressed strong support for the administration’s post-midterm-elections reform agenda. In previous interviews, he endorsed the internal cleansing campaign initiated by Marbil, emphasizing strict accountability and discipline within the PNP. He remarked that no one should be exempt from oversight and that discipline is the bedrock of any strong organization.

De Vera, Guevarra axed

Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chair Prospero De Vera III will be replaced by Shirley Agrupis. She previously served as president of Mariano Marcos State University in Batac City, Ilocos Norte, and was appointed CHED commissioner in September 2024.

Meanwhile, Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra’s courtesy resignation — confirmed earlier in the day — was formally acknowledged by Bersamin. Guevarra will be succeeded by Darlene Marie Berberabe, former Pag-IBIG Fund head during the Aquino administration and current dean of the University of the Philippines College of Law. Berberabe brings both legal expertise and executive leadership to the role.

“The President has been clear from the beginning — we are not just looking at the top levels,” Bersamin said during the press conference. “We are going deeper into the agencies, into the systems, and into the quality of public service delivered on the ground."

Three secretaries confirmed staying

Bersamin also confirmed that three cabinet secretaries would remain in their posts after the president rejected their courtesy resignations: Department of Justice Secretary Jesis Crispin "Boying" Remulla, his brother and Department of the Interior and Local Government chief Jonvic Remulla, and Department of Defense Secretary Gilberto "Gibo" Teodoro Jr.