Ranking congressmen have expressed support for President Marcos' ongoing Cabinet reorganization, which the latter launched Thursday morning, May 22 with a rather surprising call for all his Cabinet secretaries to tender their courtesy resignations.
House Minority Leader 4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino "Nonoy" Libanan and quad-committee (quad-comm) overall chairman Surigao del Norte 2nd district Rep. Robert Ace Barbers both believe that Malacañang's move is for the best.
The Cabinet secretaries are essentially Marcos' alter egos in the bureaucracy, spread across the various departments.
"We welcome President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s decision to reorganize the Cabinet—a move that underscores his ongoing commitment to responsive and effective governance," Libanan said.
"This decisive action reflects the President’s resolve to uphold the highest standards of public service by placing the right individuals in key positions to address the ever-evolving needs of the Filipino people," he added.
Marcos made the resignation call less than two weeks after the conduct of the mid-term elections, wherein both administration and opposition bets had their share of victories.
“It is now timely that he come up with new marching orders to implement a reinvigorated system of governance with certain innovations that will be appreciated by the masses," Barbers said.
"The President is on the right track. And he must act promptly and decisively in order to preserve the gains of his administration,” he stressed.
Libanan agreed, and reckoned that "Change, when led by a clear vision and strong leadership, can infuse new energy and sharpen focus in tackling the pressing challenges of our time."
"The reorganization presents an opportunity to reinforce institutional coherence, improve policy implementation, and deepen public engagement. We fully support the President’s efforts to advance a dynamic and inclusive national agenda," said the minority leader.
This early, Barbers suggested to the President the qualities of individuals that he should appoint to the vacant Cabinet posts, in case the latter won't retain the old officials.
“I believe he (the President) should appoint to the Cabinet people who have unquestionable integrity and loyalty to him and his administration…people who as his alter ego can deliver their respective mandates to the people that we serve and will not think twice in condemning Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and defend him on other national issues thrown against him and his administration,” he said.
Barbers said the courtesy resignations would give Marcos "a free hand to replace top government officials who are underperforming and/or do not defend him during times when he and his government are under attack from critics or from the opposition".