ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Business devider Trade & Industry devider Pascual's exit sets stage for Cabinet reshuffle?

Pascual's exit sets stage for Cabinet reshuffle?

Two Cabinet members being considered for DTI

Published Aug 1, 2024 01:29 am

The resignation of Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Alfredo E. Pascual is poised to pave the way for a Cabinet reshuffle, with two secretaries currently under consideration for the vacant position.

Malacañang announced on Wednesday, July 31, the resignation of Pascual as head of DTI. While his successor has not been officially named, speculation about potential candidates is ongoing.

READ: Pascual resigns as DTI secretary

According to Manila Bulletin sources, President Marcos is reportedly considering three personalities—two Cabinet members and a lawmaker—for the position.

A leading candidate is National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan, who is also a former head of the Philippine Competition Commission.

If Balisacan takes over at DTI, sources suggested NEDA Undersecretary Rosemarie G. Edillon could succeed him.

Sources said another contender is Marikina 2nd District Representative Stella Quimbo, who is being eyed for both the NEDA role and the DTI chief position.

However, sources indicated that Quimbo may decline a Cabinet appointment this time as she plans to run for mayor of Marikina City next year.

Another potential candidate for the DTI post is Secretary Frederick D. Go from the Office of the Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs.

According to sources, Go is the private sector’s “favored choice” for DTI.

Go previously served as the president and chief executive officer of Robinsons Land Corp. (RLC).

Meanwhile, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) is hopeful that the next trade secretary of President Marcos would continue the programs introduced by Pascual.

PCCI President Enunina V. Mangio said they expect that the DTI will continue prioritize initiatives such as promoting regional industrialization, improving the business environment, addressing skills gaps, attracting investments, expanding exports, and enhancing consumer protection.

“We, in PCCI, would support whoever will the President appoints as the new DTI chief. After all, we all work for the common good of our enterprises and the consuming public,” Mangio said in a statement on Thursday, Aug. 1.

During Pascual's tenure, Mangio noted that the PCCI and DTI have worked together on initiatives like micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) resilience programs and educating MSMEs about intellectual property rights.

She added that they have also collaborated on activities such as investment promotion through missions, as well as trade education and advocacy campaigns on free trade agreements (FTAs), among others.

“We have high respects for Secretary Pascual for his dedication and hard work in promoting MSMEs to the core. We’ve worked with him on various programs and advocacies that support the development of MSMEs,” Mangio said.

On Monday, July 1, Malacañang announced the resignation of Pascual, effective Aug. 2, as he intends to return to the private sector.

Meanwhile, the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (AmCham) praised Pascual for his role as a valuable ally to US companies in advancing trade and investments in the Philippines.

“We thank him for his service to promote economic growth in the country, and particularly his focus on supporting Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. He will be missed, and we wish him all the best in his next chapter,” Amcham said in a separate statement.

Related Tags

Trade Secretary Department of Trade and Industry Alfredo Pascual replacement DTI New DTI Secretary
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.