THERE is no looming shake-up in the Cabinet despite concerns over the continued designation of several officials in an acting capacity.
Malacañang Press Officer Claire Castro said on Friday that the names of Cabinet secretaries would be submitted to the Commission on Appointments (CA).
“We asked the President earlier — there will no longer be any rigodon (Cabinet reshuffle), and the names will be submitted to the Commission on Appointments the soonest possible,” Castro said during a press briefing.
Castro issued the statement in response to Sen. Rodante Marcoleta’s concern over what he said was the growing number of crucial government agencies that were being led by officials who are serving in an “acting” capacity.
In a privilege speech on Wednesday, Marcoleta said what was at stake was not the reputation of individuals but “the integrity of our public institutions,” noting that acting officials wield immense authority, control billion-peso budgets and approve major infrastructure projects without undergoing constitutional scrutiny.
He identified several agencies headed by acting officials, including the Office of the Executive Secretary, the Department of Finance, the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Department of Justice, the Department of Budget and Management, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Transportation and the Presidential Communications Office.
“These are core institutions of our government,” Marcoleta said. “They control our money, they enforce our laws, they build our infrastructure. They defend sovereignty. They speak for the President and the Republic.”
An acting secretary becomes an official secretary when the president formally appoints the official and the CA confirms the appointment.
Castro also said that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was looking into the appointment of Environment Secretary Raphael Lotilla amid reports that he was on his way out.
Lotilla replaced Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga, as announced by then-executive secretary Lucas Bersamin, at the height of the Cabinet revamp in 2025.
“What was said is that there has already been a third bypass of his appointment, so the President and the Presidential Management Staff are now reviewing the records, and we will see what the update will be regarding this,” Castro said.
She also addressed questions about the authenticity of government reports submitted to the president.
Castro said consequences depend on whether any inaccuracies were intentional or due to negligence.
“lf it was intentional, there are corresponding penalties — they could be removed from their positions. If it was negligence, the same applies,” she said.
