A few days before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. marks his 100th day in office, some of his appointed Cabinet members tendered their resignation.
Victor Rodriquez
On Saturday, September 17, lawyer Victor Rodriguez, quit his post as executive secretary.
Rodriguez said he wants to give attention to his young family.
“I have asked permission to step down as Executive Secretary. There is nothing more rewarding than answering the call to serve the country, a rare privilege not extended to all but was given to me by the President, His Excellency Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, Jr.,” Rodriguez said in a statement posted on Facebook.
“The work of an executive secretary is a 24/7 job with myriad topics expected to be attended to every day. It demands a sense of urgency which essentially requires almost all of a public servant’s time to ensure that services are met and delivered,” he added.
“Equally valuable, however, is to witness firsthand your young family grow and evolve into how every parent would wish them to become and they most need me too.
In a separate statement, Palace said Rodriguez would assume a new position created through an order just signed by Marcos.
“With Rodriguez’s stepping down as executive secretary, he was appointed by the President as presidential chief of staff (PCS), a new position created by Administrative Order No. 1, signed over the weekend by the Chief Executive,” then press secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said.
On Tuesday, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who replaced Rodriguez, said there is no Administrative Order No. 1 designating Rodriguez as presidential chief of staff.
He also confirmed that Rodriguez is no longer part of the Marcos Cabinet.
Rodriguez also served as Marcos’ spokesperson during the 2022 presidential campaign.
Trixie Cruz-Angeles
On Tuesday, October 4, Trixie Cruz-Angeles resigned as press secretary due to health reasons.
Her resignation came after reports that she would soon be replaced by Mike Toledo, former President Joseph Estrada’s press secretary.
Cruz-Angles served Marcos for just about three months.
RELATED: Trixie Cruz-Angeles, Vic Rodriguez out from Malacañang
Jose Calida
Following Cruz-Angeles’ resignation, Jose Calida stepped down as chairperson of the Commission on Audit (COA). This was confirmed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin.
The news about the resignation of Calida came after ten officials, excluding the former COA chairperson, were reappointed and took their oath before Marcos on Tuesday. They were reappointed after the Commission on Appointments bypassed the nomination of 14 Cabinet officials to attend to legislation before Congress started its recess.
Meanwhile, prior to his appointment as COA chair, Calida was a solicitor general under President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration
During Calida’s stint at the Office of Solicitor General (OSG), the COA in 2018 flagged over P10.774 million in excess honoraria and allowances to 15 officials, including him.
The COA also noted that the allowances were not disclosed by the OSG lawyers named in the report.
READ: Jose Calida’s COA appointment comes after audit flags vs OSG
