INFORMATION and Communications Technology Secretary Rodolfo Salalima has resigned due to a conflict of interest, President Rodrigo Duterte said Thursday.
In a news briefing in Marawi, Duterte said he is likely to accept the resignation of his former classmate at the San Beda College of Law out of delicadeza.
Malacañang earlier said Salalima resigned citing “personal and work-related reasons.”
Duterte said he was already looking for “the best guy” as a possible replacement for Salalima, whose agency is rolling out several mxulti-billion-peso projects, incuding the P1.7-billion free public Wi-Fi initiative and the P1.2-billion National Broadband Program.
In August, Duterte said that he would be making some changes in his Cabinet, as he is constrained to let go of some who are not making it easier to run the government.
“A few have to go,” the President said.
Salalima did not immediately respond to Manila Standard’s requests for comment Thursday.
Salalima is the second member of the Duterte Cabinet to resign, following Vice President Leni Robredo as Housing secretary. Another Cabinet secretary, former Interior secretary Ismael Sueno, was fired by Duterte amid allegations of corruption.
Four others who left the Cabinet—former Foreign Affairs secretary Perfecto Yasay, Environment secretary Regina Lopez, Social Welfare secretary Judy Taguiwalo, and Agrarian Reform secretary Rafael Mariano—were rejected by the Commission on Appointments.
