Angeles, Calida resign | The Manila Times

(UPDATE) TWO members of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s Cabinet have resigned from their posts, Malacañang said on Tuesday.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin confirmed that Press Secretary Rose Beatrix “Trixie” Cruz-Angeles and Commission on Audit (CoA) Chairman Jose Calida had filed their letter of resignation.

In a statement, Cruz-Angeles said she tendered her resignation for “health reasons.”

“I tendered my resignation this morning, effective end of business hours today. Due to health reasons. It was a pleasure working with you,” she also said.

Cruz-Angeles is the second Cabinet official who stepped down after Victor Rodriguez announced on Sept. 17, 2022, that he has resigned as executive secretary but will continue serving Marcos as his chief of staff.

Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Hubert Guevara said the President is yet to appoint Cruz-Angeles’ replacement.

“She tendered her resignation today. We’re still in the process of helping the office address her resignation today,” Guevara said.

“Wala pa hong bagong (There is still no new) press secretary. Hopefully, in the near future, we will have [a] new press secretary,” he said.

According to Guevarra, Marcos gave Cruz-Angeles a “thank you note” after her resignation.

When asked if there are already names being considered to replace Cruz-Angeles, Guevarra said there was none.

Earlier in the day, the President reappointed some of his Cabinet members who were bypassed by the Commission on Appointments.

Cruz-Angeles was among the officials who were not on the list and not present during the ceremony.

Rumors about Cruz-Angeles’ quitting from her post circulated after Marcos’ working visit to the United States.

In May, she accepted the offer to be press secretary and head of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO).

She previously served as PCOO’s social media strategist from July 2017 to July 2018 during the administration of then-president Rodrigo Duterte.

As a lawyer, she is known for representing military officers charged with rebellion and mutiny.

Cruz-Angeles was also a former commissioner for Cultural Heritage of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and former spokesman for the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.

She was also a member of then-Chief Justice Renato Corona’s legal team during his impeachment trial in 2012.

Meanwhile, Bersamin also confirmed that Calida has stepped down as CoA chairman, but he declined to answer when prodded about the reason for the latter’s resignation.

“He (Calida) tendered his resignation for many reasons, but it’s up to him to later explain to you or publish what were his reasons, but we accepted that with regret and we commended him for his patriotism for serving for a short while,” he said.

Calida, who served…