THE Commission on Appointments (CA) would continue its deliberations on the appointments of three Cabinet secretaries, even as the Marcos administration is preparing for a possible revamp of the government’s top officials, a congressman said on Sunday.
Transportation Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon, Information and Communications Technology Secretary Henry Rhoel R. Aguda, and Presidential Communications Secretary Jaybee C. Ruiz would still appear before the constitutional body despite their courtesy resignation last week, said Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny T. Pimentel.
“Unless the President formally withdraws the ad interim appointments of the three Cabinet members under review,” Mr. Pimentel, an assistant minority leader of the body, said in a statement.
“A courtesy resignation is not the same as a formal resignation. It is simply an offer to vacate one’s position, which the President may choose to accept or reject,” he added. “Their ad interim appointments remain valid unless the President formally withdraws them or the CA disapproves or bypasses them,”
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has called for the resignation of his entire Cabinet following a disappointing electoral loss for his administration-backed Senate candidates, marking one of the most significant political setbacks for an incumbent leader in decades.
Only six of his 11-member Senate slate secured wins in the May 12 elections, a weaker-than-expected outcome for his candidates despite strong pre-election survey performances and the traditional influence of an incumbent leader. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio
