President Marcos expects government officials to lead with integrity and accountability, as the Palace underscored his focus on right leadership and performance across all agencies amid recent issues hounding the public sector.

In a Palace briefing on Monday, Oct. 20, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro said the President wants public servants who fulfill their responsibilities and act in accordance with the law.

“Ang alam po natin, ang Pangulo po, ang gusto po niya ay mga taong tumutugon sa kanilang mga obligasyon (What we know is that the President wants officials who fulfill their duties),” she said.

“Dapat ang pamumuno at tamang leadership ang nais ng Pangulo sa bawat ahensiya (He wants leadership done right in every agency),” she added.

The Palace Press Officer confirmed that the President is aware of the calls for the resignation of Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) President and General Manager Wick Veloso over alleged mismanagement and policy violations. However, Castro said the Chief Executive is taking a careful, measured approach.

“Hindi naman po agad-agad nabibigla dahil kung mayroon pong mga reklamo sa ngayon, dapat po itong inaaral nang masinsinan (He doesn’t make hasty decisions. Any complaints must be studied thoroughly),” she said.

“Kung mayroon naman pong basis, tingnan po natin kung anong magiging desisyon ng Pangulo (If there’s a basis, the President will decide accordingly),” she added.

Castro also addressed Senator Sherwin Gatchalian’s proposal to abolish the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) amid corruption concerns, saying that the President believes the solution is reform, not dismantling.

“Unang-una po, ang departamento, hindi po lahat ng mga nangangasiwa at hindi po lahat ng mga taong-gobyerno sa DPWH ay masasabi nating gumawa ng kamalian (First of all, not everyone in the department can be said to have done wrong),” she said.

“Sa ngayon po ay hindi pa po naiisip kung dapat itong i-abolish dahil dapat ang tanggalin dito ay iyong mga gumagawa ng mali (Abolition isn’t being considered — those who must be removed are the ones who did wrong),” she added.

Castro said Marcos trusts DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon to implement necessary reforms and ensure accountability within the agency.

Castro also welcomed Dizon’s announcement that around 2,000 vacant positions in the DPWH will be opened, saying it provides an opportunity to “reset” the department’s workforce.

“Dahil nga sabi ni Sec. Vince ay maraming matatanggal at dahil dito, na-warning na po ito sa mga papasok – dapat po kayo ay maging matino, dapat kayo ay may integridad (As Secretary Vince said, many will be removed, so this serves as a warning to incoming personnel — you must be upright and have integrity),” she said.

“Dapat po talaga tumugon kayo kung ano ang naaayon sa batas at kung ano ang maitutulong sa taumbayan (You must act according to the law and serve in ways that truly help the people),” she added.

Castro said the President remains committed to cleaning up agencies through accountability, not disruption.

“Madali naman pong malaman kung sino-sino ito at sa tulong na rin po ni Secretary Vince, matatanggal po ang dapat matanggal sa ahensiya (It’s not hard to identify who they are, and with Secretary Vince’s help, those who must be removed will be removed from the agency),” she said.

She stressed that Marcos’ directive is clear: leadership with integrity must be the norm in all levels of government.