THE PURGE ISN’T over, at least not until after the administration gets rid of its “extra baggage.”
However, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin doesn’t seem inclined on waiting for him to be fired as he resigned from the post he held for the last three years.
In a news briefing, no less than Palace Press Officer Claire Castro admitted that Bersamin has resigned — and has been replaced by Finance Secretary Ralph Recto.
Castro also announced the resignation of Amenah Pangandaman as Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management. Taking over her post is Budget Undersecretary Rolando Toledo as officer-in-charge.
With Recto’s new designation, Secretary Frederick Go, the Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs, takes over as Finance Secretary.
FLOOD CONTROL SCANDAL
According to Castro, Bersamin and Pangandaman “voluntarily resigned” after being dragged into the flood control scandal.
“President Marcos accepts the resignation of Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman,” Castro told Palace reporters.
Castro said both officials voluntarily stepped down out of “delicadeza,” even as she claimed that their resignation will also allow the administration to investigate the issue properly.
“To ensure continuity and enforce the administration’s governance agenda, President Marcos has appointed Department of Finance Secretary Ralph Recto as the new executive secretary,” she said.
“These leadership changes reinforce the President’s commitment to strengthening institutions, improving coordination across government, and keeping the administration focused on delivering stability, opportunity, and security to Filipino families,” Castro said.
“The Office of the President assures the public that all agencies will continue to operate without interruption and with the same commitment to effective governance and public service.”
NOT ENTIRELY SURPRISING
Talks on Bersamin’s exit have been lingering over the past three weeks and that he would be replaced by Recto. The Finance Secretary then, however, denied rumors he was poised to become the next executive secretary.
In published news reports, Recto claimed there had been no offer for him to assume the post. He also said he was unaware of any potential revamp in the Cabinet.
“There is no offer. There’s nothing to accept,” he told members of the media when asked if he would take the position should an offer arise. “I remain as DOF… I’m here as Secretary of DOF.”
Interestingly, Bersamin also dispelled rumors that he would quit his post or be replaced by the President.
INC’S BARGAINING CHIP?
Speculation about Bersamin’s supposed exit coincided with the Iglesia ni Cristo’s three-day rally calling for accountability amid alleged corruption in government projects.
As per government estimates, no less than a million Filipinos gathered on Sunday (Day One) at the Quirino Grandstand in what appears to be the largest rally so far to demand accountability over a flood-control corruption scandal that has implicated powerful members of Congress and top government officials.
Various groups have protested in recent months following the discovery that thousands of flood defence projects across one of the world’s most typhoon-prone countries were substandard, incomplete or simply did not exist.
Government engineers, public works officials and construction company executives have testified under oath in hearings by the Senate and a fact-finding commission that members of Congress and officials at the Department of Public Works and Highways took kickbacks from construction companies to help them win lucrative contracts and avoid accountability.