Manila, Philippines (AP)-Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. asked all his cabinet secretaries to resign Thursday in the “bold reset” of his administration after last week’s mid-term elections, which saw more opposition candidates win decisive senate places.
Marcos, the 67-year-old son of a late Philippine dictator, removed in 1986, won the presidency in the deeply divided side of Southeast Asia by a landslide in 2022 in a stunning political return, as he made an unwavering call for national unity. But his equally popular Vice Presidential ruling half Sarah Duterte later broke away from him when he dropped, which caused intense political discord.
With the support of the Treaty, the ally the United States and other friendly countries, Marcos emerges as the most vocal critic of China’s increasing aggression in the controversial South China Sea, while fighting a number of long -standing internal problems, including inflation – and a delayed implementation of a campaign promise to reduce the price of rice and many reports of incidence.
“This is not a business as usual,” Marcos quoted, as a government statement said. “People have talked and expect results – not politics, not excuses. We hear them and we will act.”
Marcos has called for “the kind reconciliation of all cabinet secretaries in a decisive move to calibrate its administration after the results of the last election,” the government said.
“The request for granted reconciliation aims to give the president the elbow room to evaluate the implementation of each department and to determine who will continue to serve in accordance with the calibrated priorities of its administration,” the government said.
At least 21 Cabinet secretaries led by CEO Lucas Bersamin, or immediately resigned, or expressed their willingness to do so.
“This is not about personalities – it’s about productivity, alignment and emergency,” Marcos said. “Those who have delivered and continue to deliver will be recognized. But we cannot afford to be smug. The time for the comfort zones is over.”
Government services will remain continuous during the transition, the government said, adding that “with this bold resetting the Marcos administration signaling a new phase -more, faster and fully focused on the most people’s needs.”
Five of the 12 Senate places, challenged in the medium-term elections, were won by allies of Sarah Duterte or her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who was arrested and detained by the International Hague Criminal Court in the Netherlands. The older Duterte, an unwavering critic of Marcos, has been accused of committing crimes against humanity over a brutal drug repression, which he fired, leaving thousands of most poor suspects.
Senatorial candidates approved by Marcos won five places in the Senate, while the other two places were unexpectedly won by two liberal Democrats related to the late former President Beninho Aquino III, whose family has long been contrary to marcos.
Voting for half of the 24-member senate is crucial, as in July the government body will conduct an impeachment process for Sarah Duterte over a number of criminal charges, including corruption and a public threat to the murder of Marcos, his wife and speaker of the home Martin Romaaldes. She made these threats at an online press conference in November, but later issued an unclear refusal that the president wants to be killed.
Sarah Duterte faces a separate criminal appeal for her threats against marcos and Romualdes.
Most places in the Chamber were won by candidates ally with Marcos and his cousin Romualdes, at the May 12 elections, which many have seen as a review of the presidential election scheduled for 2028.