Marcos evaluating Cabinet officials not trigger for resignations - press officer

Metro Manila, Philippines – A Palace official said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. regularly evaluates his Cabinet members but distanced this from the resignation of two Cabinet officials.

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista had quit for health reasons, while Communications Secretary Cesar Chavez stepped down after "falling short of expectations."

Palace Press Officer and Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said an evaluation is underway for Cabinet members.

"I-evaluate pa lang po. I-evaluate. Siguro lahat po ngayon kasi every time kailangan namang mag-evaluate ng pangulo eh kung ang kanyang secretaries, Cabinet members are doing well for the government, for the people. So, kapag nakita po ng pangulo na, 'Oops, mukhang hindi ito makakatulong,' eh ‘di we have to find a new leader and it’s for the people. Pero as of now, wala pa po talaga," said Castro.

[Translation: The evaluation is just beginning. The president regularly evaluates whether his secretaries, Cabinet members are performing well for the government and the people. If the president sees that someone may not be contributing effectively, then we have to find a new leader for the people. But as of now, there are no changes yet.]

Castro said the resignations of Bautista and Chavez were not related to the evaluation process.

"Like po Secretary Cesar Chavez, voluntary po iyong resignation niya so wala po tayong magagawa kung hindi talaga maghanap ng kanyang kapalit. So, ganoon lang po iyong nangyayari pero sabi nga po natin, as of now, kung ini-evaluate pa ang kung sino ang papalitan or kung may papalitan wala pa po tayong nadidinig, nag-e-evaluate pa lang po. It’s just normal for the president," she said.

[Translation: Like Secretary Cesar Chavez, his resignation was voluntary, so there’s nothing we can do except find a replacement. That’s simply the process. But as we’ve said, as of now, the evaluation is still ongoing, and there’s no word yet on any changes. This is a normal process for the president.]

Pressed by the media, Castro said there is no information about a Cabinet revamp.

"As of now, ang pagkakasabi po sa atin ay nag-e-evaluate pa. So, kung kailan matatapos, hindi natin din alam kung magkakaroon talaga ng revamp. So, we have to just wait and see," she said.

[Translation: As of now, we have been told that the evaluation is still ongoing. We don’t know when it will be completed or whether a revamp will actually happen. We just have to wait and see.]