By ALFRED GABOT, Editor in Chief

MANILA – Even as he retained most of his Cabinet members, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has accepted the courtesy resignations of three ranking government officials with Cabinet rank and axed a presidential adviser as more announcements are awaited on more heads to roll up among other presidential appointees in the undersecretary and bureau levels and the officers of government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs).

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who said the revamp is continuing, identified the three officials with Cabinet rank whose resignations were accepted as Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP) chairperson and Chief Executive Officer Meynardo Sabili, Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Terence Calatrava, and Presidential Adviser on Muslim Affairs Almarim Tillah.

Bersamin said Presidential Adviser for Special Concerns Menandro Espineli’s appointment was terminated.

In the latest government reorganization, the President also appointed lawyer and business executive Francisco Edralin Lim, former president and chief executive officer of the Philippine Stock Exchange, as chairperson of the Securities and Exchange Commission to replace Emilio Aquino, whose term expired on June 5.

Meanwhile, the President withdrew his acceptance of the resignation of Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo as he needed to be confirmed before he takes over as Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

Manalo’s appointment as the country’s Permanent Representative to the UN will most likely take effect by August 1 or until it is confirmed, Bersamin said.

Manalo will be succeeded as DFA chief by Undersecretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro.

The latest reshuffle came after Mr. Marcos’ earlier directive for all Cabinet officials and several presidential appointees to submit courtesy resignations as part of a performance evaluation and leadership review aimed at enhancing government efficiency.

Marcos, meanwhile, nominated seven new Philippine envoys whose nomination will have to pass through the Commission on Appointments.

CA Assistant Minority Leader Johnny Pimentel  said the nominees are as follows:

1.    Evangeline Ong Jimenez-Ducrocq – Philippine Permanent Representative to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta, Indonesia;

2.    Bernadette Therese Fernandez – Ambassador to South Korea;

3.    Maria Teresa Almojuela –  Ambassador to Germany;

4.    Alan Deniega – Ambassador to Poland, with concurrent jurisdiction over Lithuania and Ukraine;

5.    Gines Jaime Ricardo Gallaga –  Ambassador to Bahrain; 

6.    Marlowe Miranda – Ambassador to Lebanon; and 

7.    Arvin De Leon – Ambassador to Mexico, with concurrent jurisdiction over the Caribbean nations of Cuba and the Dominican Republic, as well as the Central American countries of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama

Marcos retained most Cabinet officials in what is dubbed as the administration’s ongoing recalibration process.

Bersamin those retained in the third phase of the “bold reset” in the administration’s ongoing performance evaluation are:

·         Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III, Education Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara, TESDA Director-General Jose Francisco Benitez, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac, Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum Jr., Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, Information and Communications Technology Secretary Henry Aguda, Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon and Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan.

Also retained were Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile, Presidential Management Staff Secretary Elaine Masukat, MMDA Chairman Romando Artes, Mindanao Development Authority Chairman Leo Tereso Magno, Presidential Adviser for Mindanao Concerns Secretary Antonio Cerilles, BIR Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr., Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio and National Treasurer Sharon Almanza.

In a Malacanang briefing, Bersamin emphasized that the performance evaluation process is still ongoing, including for officials below Cabinet rank.

“If you are asking for blood, there will still be blood,” Bersamin said.  “We are still undertaking continuing performance evaluations… I assure you that this is a very sweeping and thorough evaluation being made by the President and the panel of his choice.”

Marcos earlier asked all his Cabinet secretaries to submit their courtesy resignations following the 2025 midterm elections to recalibrate his administration’s priorities and services.

Marcos has so far retained Bersamin and his economic team — Trade Secretary Maria Cristina Roque, Finance Secretary Ralph Recto, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, Economic Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, and Special Assistant to the President for Investments and Economic Affairs Frederick Go.

Interior Secretary Juanito Victor Jonvic Remulla, his brother Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla and Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. have also been retained.

Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla has been transferred to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources from the DOE, after Marcos accepted the courtesy resignation of Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga.

Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar was also named as Presidential Adviser for Pasig River Development, with a rank of Secretary. He was replaced by engineer Ramon Aliling, a former Housing undersecretary who previously led the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino program and Pasig Bigyan Muli Buhay Project.

Last week, Menardo Guevarra and Prospero De Vera were replaced as Solicitor General and Commission on Higher Education Chairperson, respectively.