Senators welcomed on Thursday, May 22 President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s move to call for the courtesy resignation of all his Cabinet secretaries saying it would be a good start for his administration. 

“Calling for the courtesy resignations of his official family is a good start. It highlights the need for the entire bureaucracy to recalibrate and align government initiatives with the expectations of our people,” Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero said. 

“For when government fails to meet these expectations, it is the public who suffers—and I commend the President for taking immediate action,” the Senate leader stressed.

The President, he said, cannot implement government programs by himself and needs trustworthy allies and sensible partners in government. 

That’s why he views the revamp as a “mid-game substitution”, “a reshuffling of key players based on their performance.”

“But via their ballots, our countrymen told us they want more than just a personnel adjustment. The President’s course correction must include his entire political house, starting with his own backyard. He must distance himself from reckless allies who squandered his goodwill and burned through his political capital for selfish ends,” Escudero said.

Senate President Pro Tempor Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada reminded that Cabinet members serve at the pleasure of the President, thus calling for their resignation is his prerogative. 

“If the President deems it necessary to revamp his official family, I don’t see anything wrong with it—especially if such a move is in pursuit of assembling a leadership team that can deliver efficient, accountable, and responsive governance,” Estrada said.

“As the Chief Executive and appointing authority, he is simply exercising his discretion as provided under the Constitution. Wala akong nakikitang dahilan para mabahala ang publiko sa direktiba ng Pangulo (I see no reason for the public to be affected by the President’s directive),” he said. 

“It’s a step in the right direction, as it appears to be part of a genuine reform effort to restore the people’s trust in our institutions,” he pointed out. 

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III also commended the “great move by the President” saying it allows him to “regroup” his team while sparing those to be affected from “intrigues.” 

Nevertheless, Pimentel urged the President to recruit those who still have idealism in them and those who will focus on the success of his administration by being more efficient and effective in helping the Filipino people and not focused on their own political ambitions.

“Best to recruit those with no ambitions to be elected in the 2028 elections. These non political personalities will be more objective and scientific in their work,” Pimentel said. 

But more than recalibrating his administration by calling for the courtesy resignations of his cabinet members, the President must exercise his “persuasive” powers over Congress, especially the House of Representatives 

to get rid of indiscriminate and self-aggrandizing “insertions” and “pork barrel” in the forthcoming congressional deliberations of the 2026 national budget measure, Senator-elect Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said. 

Lacson said he will do his share in helping the Marcos administration in “tempering the insatiable greed of some legislators” when it submits the National Expenditure Program (NEP).

“I vow to do my share in helping him come up with a national budget that is truly responsive to the people’s clamor for sanity and a little timidity among the members of Congress in addressing the needs of their constituents,” he said.

“With the exception of 4P’s, eliminating all other forms of ‘ayuda’ in the NEP all the way to the Enrolled Bill should be a good start. As I have consistently posited - AKAP, AICS, TUPAD, MAIFIP and similar social services programs may be integrated under the 4P’s in compliance with RA 11310 which I intend to amend through a bill that I will file when I assume office as an elected senator of the republic,” he said.

“It is time to give the Filipino people a chance to benefit more from the taxes that they pay out of their hard earned money,” added Lacson.

Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito said it is clear that his decision was based on the results of the recent May 2025 elections which also surprised the President.

Sen. Nancy Binay also said she respects the President’s prerogative to call for his Cabinet secretaries’ resignation saying she would also do the same when she formally takes over as Makati City mayor.