By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
In an announcement late Monday, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro announced changes in the Cabinet following the voluntary resignation of Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman from their posts.
Speaking to reporters, Castro noted that this move by both government officials was made “out of delicadeza,” after their departments were cited among those involved in the flood control mess.
She moreover emphasized that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s acceptance of these resignations is pivotal to give way to the administration’s ongoing investigation into ‘ghost’ and anomalous flood control projects vis-à-vis lapses in other government public works.
Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Ralph Recto will replace Bersamin, while Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs (SAPIEA) Frederick Go will take over as the new Finance chief.
DBM Budget Preparation and Execution (BPE) Group OIC and Assistant Secretary Rolando Toledo, meanwhile, will take the reins from Pangandaman. As of press time, the positions of SAPIEA and the Chief Presidential Legal Counsel remain vacant.
Prior to being appointed as the Finance chief, Recto was a seasoned lawmaker who served as the concurrent Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives in the 19th Congress, representing the 6th District of Batangas, and held various key positions in his three terms in the Senate—from 2001-2007, and from 2010-2022.
Go held various key positions in six listed companies and over 100 corporations with interests in various industries before being appointed as the country’s top economic official.
Toledo previously held various positions within the DBM, leading the Local Government and Regional Operations Group in 2023, Budget Policy and Strategy Group in 2018, and Fiscal Planning and Reforms Bureau in 2013.
Palace responds to criticisms on gov’t flood control probe
“Sinabi po natin, huwag magmalinis ang hindi malinis at huwag magpakabayani ang hindi bayani.”
At the same briefing, Castro reaffirmed the President’s seriousness on investigating the flood control mess, firing back at those criticizing Marcos’ initiative to unravel the truth behind this pressing national concern.
She went on to dismiss the allegations raised by former Ako-Bicol Party-list Representative Elizaldy Co in his videos, further pointing out that the Chief Executive is ready to face the music if it would be deemed necessary as part of the government’s ongoing flood control probe.
Castro declared, “Wala naman talagang dapat ma-exempt. Pero ang Pangulo, alam niya po ang kanyang ginagawa; alam niya po kung bakit niya pinaimbestigahan at pinangunahan ang malalimang pag-iimbestiga na ito.
She added further, “Ibig sabihin po, kung siya mismo ang nag-utos na mag-imbestiga, alam po natin na malinis ang kanyang hangarin at gusto niya talagang masawata ang korapsyon.”
Meanwhile, when asked by reporters about Vice President Sara Duterte’s remarks on the recent developments regarding the flood control probe, the Palace mouthpiece was quick to dismiss Duterte’s statement by challenging her to hold herself accountable for alleged incidents of corruption during her tenure as the Department of Education (DepEd) secretary.
“Noon pa po ay marami nang anomalya—marami na pong ghost projects pero wala pong ganitong klaseng pag-iimbestigang nangyari. Hindi inalintana ng Pangulo kung sa panahon niya ito maimbestigahan, wala siyang magagawa kundi paimbestigahan ito para sa taongbayan.”
She concluded in her remarks against the government’s second highest official, “Siya po mismo ang maglahad kung mayroon siyang nakakaharap na anomalya patungkol sa mga korapsyon; sa ghost students; sa ghost food packs na kinapalooban o kinasangkutan ng DepEd sa kanyang pamumuno. Dapat manguna po siya sa kanyang pagpapaliwanag kung siya po ay naniniwala sa transparency and accountability.”
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