Unlike in his previous foreign trips where President Marcos designated Vice President Sara Duterte as the government's caretaker, he opted to assign an executive committee to fulfill the job while he is in Laos.
Malacañang disclosed on Tuesday, Oct. 8 that Marcos has designated Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, and Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary Conrado Estrella III as the Philippine Government's caretaker.
According to Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cesar Chavez, the government's caretaker is an Executive Committee chaired by Bersamin, with Secretaries of Justice and Agrarian Reform as members.
This is the first time the President directed an executive committee to look after the government while he is overseas for an official trip.
In the past, Marcos would designate Duterte as the caretaker.
It can be recalled that Duterte resigned from her position in the Cabinet as secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd) in June. She later bared that her reason for stepping down from the Marcos Cabinet was a mix of personal and professional issues.
Months after Duterte's resignation, Marcos revealed that they have not spoken to each other since the Vice President handed in her resignation in June.
Marcos and Duterte were runningmates in the 2022 elections under a political alliance called "UniTeam."
The President will be departing on Tuesday afternoon for Laos to participate in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit until Oct. 11.