Twenty-one more Cabinet secretaries, including Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile, will be keeping their posts amid the massive Cabinet reorganization by President Marcos.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin announced the third batch of Cabinet members who were retained and dismissed by President Marcos on Tuesday, June 3, making most of his Cabinet secretaries to continue serving in their respective offices.

The resignations of the following officials were declined by the President.

•Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.

•Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary Conrado Estrella III

•Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara

•Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) Secretary Jose Francisco Benitez

•Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma

•Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rexlon Gatchalian

•Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Teodoro Herbosa

•Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac

•Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Renato Solidum Jr.

•Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Maria Christina Frasco

•Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Henry Rhoel Aguda

•Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Vivencio Dizon II

•Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan

•Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile

•Presidential Management Staff (PMS) Secretary Elaine Masukat

•Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Romando Artes

•Mindanao Development Authority (MinDa) Chairman Leo Tereso Magno

•Presidential Adviser for Mindanao Concerns Secretary Antonio G. Cerilles

•Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr.

•Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio

•National Treasurer of the Philippines Sharon Almanza.

Bersamin also announced that Marcos has accepted the resignation of Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer Meynardo Sabili of the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor, Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Terence Calatrava, and Presidential Assistant on Muslim Affairs Almarim Tillah.

Marcos also terminated Presidential Adviser for Special Concerns Menardo Espineli.

While the recent developments on the bold move of the President to ask his entire Cabinet to resign was not as "bloody" as it was expected, considering the fewer number of removed officials, Bersamin assured the people that "there will still be blood" as Marcos is undertaking a "sweeping and thorough" reorganization.

"Well, if you are asking for blood, there will still be blood, but you know, we are still undertaking, continuing performance evaluations even of those undersecretaries or those lower than the cabinet rank functionaries. I assure you that this is a very sweeping and thorough evaluation being made by the President and the panel of his choice regarding those who will be continuing, remaining in office and those who will be ultimately ousted," Bersamin said.

The Executive Secretary said Marcos expects those who he retained to give fresh attention to the mandates and to show more performance in their respective areas.

"And if you will note, these Secretaries whose resignation have been declined, need to be announced, because there have been many speculations that have been going round and they have been the victims of intrigues and harassment from nay quarters. That is why we came out today with an announcement of who they are because it’s just simple justice to them," Bersamin said.

He also revealed that those who were able to keep their positions will be given individual marching orders, and that they know that "the President demands the highest degree of performance."

Those whose resignations were accepted, however, might have not passed the President's standards of "performing at par."

"Well, these are the officers of various ranks, may undersecretary, may secretary, may assistant secretary ang levels. Well, the assessments about them is that, they did not perform up to far, that is the assumption. So, we will just leave it at that," he said.

Bersamin also said that "those who have not been retained, know also where they have failed or where they were short in delivery."

The Palace official emphasized that Marcos is a manager who has his own levels of expectations from his Cabinet secretaries.

"Well, alam ninyo, ito ang gusto kong maintindihan ninyo ‘no (Well, you know this is what I want you to understand), the President is a manager; he has his own levels of achievement that he has imposed on each of us in the Cabinet and his expectation are there, and it is only the President who can decide if we performed up to par or we delivered on those promises or the expectation that he gave to us, announced to us at the beginning," Bersamin said.

"And because of these, the President might have probably, most likely determined that most of these whom he retained have performed at par because otherwise he would surely have fired them," he added.

Bersamin reiterated that the current revamp is not a purge, adding that "performance evaluation is ongoing every time."

"The President may even terminate or remove any of us; we are at his will. If the performance evaluation is a continuing process, you can be sure that anytime, anyone who is not performing according to the standard of the President will be replaced or relocated, that’s what we do sometimes," he said.

The 21 retained officials joined Bersamin, Marcos' economic team composed of Trade Secretary Ma. Cristina Roque, Finance Secretary Ralph Recto, Economy, Planning, and Development Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, and Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs Frederick Go, Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla, and Department of National Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, who were able to keep their positions.

The President has also accepted the resignation of Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) secretary Maria Antonia Loyzaga; Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra, and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chair J. Prospero De Vera III.

He also moved Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Raphael Lotilla to the DENR leadership; and then designated Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) secretary Jerry Acuzar as Presidential Adviser for Pasig River Development.

Bersamin also clarified on Tuesday that Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Enrique Manalo will continue to be the DFA head for the meantime.