PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. named former senator Francis Tolentino as the new Acting Secretary of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Malacañang announced on Monday.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in a briefing that Tolentino’s appointment was prompted by the decision of Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma’s decision to step down due to health reasons and after the one-year appointment ban on losing 2025 elections candidates lapsed earlier this month.
Tolentino was a senatorial candidate of the Marcos-backed Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas.
Asked if Laguesma would be given another government post in the future, Castro stressed she could not preempt the president’s decision, and that it would also largely depend on Laguesma’s medical state.
A senator from 2016 to 2022, Tolentino was also chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) from 2010 to 2015 and mayor of Tagaytay City from 1994 to 2004.
The leadership changed at DOLE is the latest in the Marcos Cabinet. Last week, the president appointed Kim Robert de Leon to head of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
