Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on Tuesday announced the third batch of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s ongoing cabinet reshuffle, with one key new appointment, several resignations accepted, and one top-level official terminated.
In a press briefing, Bersamin confirmed the appointment of Atty. Francis Lim as the new chairperson of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), replacing Emilio Aquino.
The Palace also accepted the resignations of Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP) Chairperson Meynardo A. Sabili, Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Terence Calatrava, and Presidential Assistant on Muslim Affairs Almarim Tillah. Bersamin noted that they did "not deliver."
Meanwhile, Presidential Adviser for Special Concerns Menandro Espinelli has been officially terminated, making him the only official in the batch explicitly dismissed from service.
Contrary to speculation, several top officials offered to resign but were asked to stay. Bersamin confirmed that the President declined the resignations of key cabinet members, including:
Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon
Health Secretary Ted Herbosa
Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III
MMDA Chairman Romando Artes
Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara
TESDA Secretary Francisco Benitez
Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac
Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum Jr.
Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco
ICT Secretary Henry Aguda
Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan
Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile
PMS Secretary Elaine Masukat
MinDA Chairman Leo Magno
Presidential Adviser for Mindanao Concerns Atty. Antonio Cerilles
BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr.
BOC Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio
Treasurer of the Philippines Sharon Almanza
The wide net cast by the administration in this latest shakeup reflects what Bersamin called a “strategic reassessment” of government leadership.