In or Out: Marcos cabinet secretaries who got replaced
It was a busy January not only on the showbiz front but also on the political side, as three of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s cabinet officials already resigned in just a month.
They already got their replacements just like any other office, whether to continue what they started or overhaul any achievement they may have during their short stint.
Here's a list of who's in and who's out:
DSWD secretary – Erwin Tulfo, out; Rex Gatchalian, in
Gatchalian was appointed to lead the Department of Social Welfare and Development on Jan. 31.
Tulfo, a broadcaster, stepped down after being bypassed by the Commission on Appointments.
Before the appointment, Gatchalian served as 1st District representative of Valenzuela. He also became the city's mayor in three consecutive terms, from 2013 to 2022.
National security adviser – Clarita Carlos, out; Eduardo Año, in
Año became the administration's new National Security adviser on Jan. 14.
Carlos, a retired professor from the University of the Philippines, gave up the role to transfer to the Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department of the House of Representatives.
Año, a retired general, served as chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) from 2015 to 2016. He also served as the secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government during the Duterte administration.
Defense secretary – Jose Faustino Jr., out; Carlito Galvez, in
Galvez accepted to head the Department of National Defense on Jan. 9. He replaced officer-in-charge Jose Faustino Jr., who resigned from the position for unknown reasons.
Galvez served as AFP chief during the Duterte administration. He's known for his work during the five-month Marawi siege in 2017.
After retiring as AFP chief, he co-headed the National Task Force vs. COVID-19 and served as vaccine czar later on.
Prior to these replacements, the Marcos cabinet saw a few departures in October last year, or just four months since he assumed the presidency.
Press secretary – Trixie Cruz-Angeles, out; Cheloy Garafil, in
Cruz-Angeles stepped down as press secretary on Oct. 4, citing health reasons.
Garafil, meanwhile, is a lawyer and a former journalist, with reporting stints in Malaya, the Philippine Daily Globe, and the Central News Agency of Taiwan.
She also served as a prosecutor during the Arroyo administration.
CoA – Jose Calida, out; Gamaliel Cordoba, in
Calida resigned as Commission on Audit chairman on the same day as Cruz-Angeles. His reasons were unknown.
Cordoba serves as ad interim chairman of the agency.
He is the former commissioner of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) for 13 years, from 2009 to 2022.
Under his leadership, the NTC issued a cease and desist order against media giant ABS-CBN on May 5, 2020, as its franchise expired the day before after lawmakers didn't vote to renew it.
In August 2022, ABS-CBN announced alongside TV5 Network Inc. that they entered a joint venture to air Kapamilya shows on the Kapatid network.
The Cordoba-led NTC, however, issued a memorandum order prohibiting franchise grantees from entering into commercial agreements. The networks called off their deal the following month.
Executive secretary – Vic Rodriguez, out; Lucas Bersamin, in
Rodriguez resigned as Marcos's executive secretary on Sept. 17, on the heels of the country's sugar importation issue.
He confirmed his exit from the Marcos Jr. cabinet on Oct. 5, noting it happened after having spoken to the president "at length" about his wish to spend most of his time with his family.
Bersamin, the former chief justice, took over Rodriguez's role.