President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday said that he is restrained from appointing new Cabinet secretaries because his administration is still in a “transition” phase, more than 100 days since he took office.
Mr. Marcos made the statement in response to a media query as to why he did not appoint Office of the Press Secretary officer-in-charge Undersecretary Cheloy Garafil as Press Secretary.
“Because we are still in transition. We talked about rightsizing all the time. We’re rightsizing everything, everywhere all the time and this is part of that. So that’s the reason,” he said.
The President, nevertheless, assured he would soon fill up vacant Cabinet posts.
On Oct. 6, Mr. Marcos revealed that he is considering at least three personalities to be his next Press Secretary, and prefers a “journalist” or a “media practitioner” to serve as the new OPS chief.
Garafil resigned as head of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to accept Mr. Marcos’ offer to serve as OPS OIC.
Garafil on Monday said she doesn’t mind being offered the OIC position, saying she is happy as long as she is enjoying the President’s trust and confidence.
A journalist turned lawyer, Garafil said the OPS may see “some changes” in the coming days.
Garafil’s appointment came following the resignation of former Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles due to health reasons.
Earlier, lawyer Vic Rodriguez also stepped down as Executive Secretary, replaced by former Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin.
Regarding the Press Secretary post, Mr. Marcos said his final decision is expected to be made public soon.
The President said rightsizing is among his priorities, noting that in his first order as President, he abolished the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) and the Office of the Cabinet Secretary, citing the need for a “just allocation of resources” due to the ongoing health and fiscal crises.