SCUTTLEBUTT

A Cabinet member who has long had the trust of the President is now reportedly being avoided and is no longer invited to official functions due to suspicions of corruption within the agency he has been overseeing for some time.

According to sources, President Bongbong Marcos went to a function and while he was accompanied by subalterns, the department secretary was noticeably absent. The sources added that the organizers deliberately chose not to send him an invitation because of the growing controversy surrounding his alleged involvement in corruption.

Akbayan Rep. Chel Diokno also spoke out against the Cabinet official, saying the corruption in the agency he heads is comparable to the flood control controversy, and suggesting the agency’s proposed budget for the coming year be thoroughly scrutinized.

Despite the ongoing budget hearings at the House, the official reportedly traveled to Boston and New York, leaving his agency unrepresented when its budget came up in the plenary.

Lately, the Cabinet official, according to Nosy Tarsee’s grapevine, drew the ire of Malacañang after it was discovered that he dropped the name of First Lady Liza Marcos when he appointed certain persons linked to the controversial flood control contractors to key positions in his agency.