By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos | Philippine News Agency
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Friday granted ad interim appointments to 10 Cabinet secretaries, administering their oaths of office during a ceremony at Malacañan Palace in Manila.
The officials who received their ad interim appointments were Executive Secretary Ralph Recto, Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida, Budget Secretary Kim Robert de Leon, Public Works Secretary Giovanni Lopez, Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino, and Health Secretary Edwin Mercado.
Also included were Environment Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna, Tourism Secretary Maria Bernardita Angara-Mathay, Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon, and Philippine Space Agency Director-General Gay Jane Perez.
On the sidelines of the event, Recto said he and the nine other Cabinet members who took their oaths would undergo confirmation by the Commission on Appointments (CA) following their ad interim appointments.
“Itong oath-taking ngayon, ibig sabihin lahat kami dito ngayon, ad interim appointments ng Pangulo,” Exec. Sec. Recto said.
“Dadaan kaming lahat sa Commission on Appointments. Nakapag-submit na tayo sa Commission on Appointments.”
Most of the reappointed Cabinet members had been serving in an acting capacity before their ad interim appointments.
The latest appointments follow a series of Cabinet changes under the Marcos administration as the President recalibrates his administration’s priorities and strengthens the implementation of key programs.
Recent changes include the reassignment of Dizon from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and Lopez’s transfer to the DPWH.
The ad interim appointments are subject to confirmation by the CA, a constitutional body tasked with reviewing and approving presidential appointments.
