Marcos reappoints 11 Cabinet secretaries

(UPDATE) PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has renewed the ad interim appointment of 11 Cabinet secretaries who have yet to get the nod of the Commission on Appointments (CA), Malacañang said on Tuesday.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin led the list of Cabinet officials who took their oath of office before Marcos on Tuesday.

Bersamin, 72, replaced former executive secretary Victor Rodriguez who stepped down in September but stayed on as presidential chief of staff.

The President also reappointed Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo, Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan, Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum Jr., Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople, and Human Settlements Secretary Jose Acuzar.

The CA was unable to tackle the ad interim appointments of more than 10 Cabinet officials due to lack of time.

Congress will resume its session on November 7.

Under CA rules, nominations or appointments not acted upon or bypassed at the close of the session of Congress “shall be returned to the President and, unless new nominations or appointments are made, shall not again be considered by the Commission.”

Other bypassed appointees include Press Secretary Rose Beatrix “Trixie” Cruz-Angeles, Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy, Commission on Elections Commissioner Nelson Celis, and Commission on Audit Chairman Jose Calida.

The four officials, however, were not included in the roster of reappointed Cabinet secretaries which was released by the Office of the Press Secretary.

Malacañang has yet to issue a statement on the fate of the four bypassed appointees.