Latest news with #FerdinandMarcos
Arab News
2 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
Marcos orders all CEOs of Philippine government-owned corporations to quit
MANILA: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered all ranking executives of government-owned and controlled corporations to resign, days after asking his Cabinet members to step down. All appointed chairpersons, CEOs, directors, trustees, and members of governing boards of government-owned and controlled corporations were asked to 'immediately submit their respective courtesy resignations to the President through the Office of the Executive Secretary,' according to a notice from the Governance Commission for GOCCs, which was released on Wednesday. The move follows Marcos' request last week for his government members to render their resignations as he attempted to address the public's dissatisfaction over his administration's performance. Most of his Cabinet secretaries have either immediately submitted their resignations or expressed their readiness to do so. 'This process is part of a rigorous and ongoing evaluation of government performance not only at the Cabinet level but across the entire bureaucracy,' Lucas Bersamin, executive secretary of the Philippines — the head and highest-ranking official of the Office of the President — told reporters on Thursday. 'The people expect results, and the president has no patience for underperformance. In line with this, the president has also instructed the heads of government-owned and controlled corporations to submit their courtesy resignations. He has further indicated that senior officials will likewise be included in the continuing review.' Marcos' decision to reshuffle the Cabinet and leadership of state-owned corporations follows his allies' failure to secure a majority of contested Senate seats in the May 12 midterm elections, raising questions about his weakened mandate for the remaining three years of his term, which ends in 2028. The son of the late Philippine dictator who was overthrown in 1986, Marcos won the presidency by a landslide in 2022 after campaigning on a message of national unity and presenting himself as a candidate of change. Public support for the 67-year-old leader has, however, dropped sharply this year, with Pulse Asia surveys showing his approval rating falling to 25 percent in March, from 42 percent in February. The survey showed that a majority of Filipinos disapproved of the Marcos administration's handling of the most pressing issues, including controlling inflation and combating corruption, with disapproval rates at 79 percent and 53 percent, respectively. The bureaucrats and executives affected by the president's decision will continue in their roles unless and until the Office of the President issues further directives or formally acts on their resignations. 'All these people who offered their courtesy resignations are expected to continue performing their functions, discharging their duties until their replacements have been appointed,' Bersamin said. 'And that is expected of all public servants; no one abandons because that is part of the obligation of a public servant.'
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Philippine president's Cabinet revamp retains defense chief, a vocal critic of China's aggression
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will retain Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., who is among the most vocal critics of China in Asia, as Marcos presses on with a midterm overhaul of his Cabinet, a senior official said Thursday. Teodoro, who has strongly echoed Marcos' criticisms of China's increasingly assertive actions in the South China Sea, will remain in his post, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin told a news conference. Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre III will be the next chief of the 232,000-member national police. Torre led the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte in March and his turnover to International Criminal Court detention in The Netherlands for his deadly anti-drug crackdowns, Bersamin said. Last year, Torre oversaw the arrest of Philippine religious leader Apollo Quiboloy, a key Duterte supporter who was placed on the FBI's most-wanted list after being indicted for sexual abuses and trafficking in the U.S. Torre would take over his retiring predecessor, Gen. Rommel Marbil. Marcos asked all of his Cabinet secretaries last week to submit resignations in what the government said was a 'bold reset' of his administration following the May 12 midterm elections, which saw more opposition candidates win crucial Senate seats. Marcos, the 67-year-old son of a late Philippine dictator overthrown in 1986, won the presidency in the deeply divided Southeast Asian country by a landslide in 2022 in a stunning political comeback as he made a steadfast call for national unity. But his equally popular vice-presidential running mate, Sara Duterte, later had a falling out with him that has sparked intense political discord. With support from friendly countries including the U.S., a treaty ally, Marcos emerged as the most vocal critic of China's actions in the disputed South China Sea while contending with an array of longstanding domestic issues including inflation, delayed fulfillment of a campaign promise to bring down the price of rice and many reports of kidnappings and other crimes. Teodoro told The Associated Press in March that China's aggressive policies in the disputed waters were now considered the greatest threat to the Philippines' national security and should also be regarded as a global threat because it could choke a trade route that is crucial for global supply chains. "The greatest external threat actually is Chinese aggression, Chinese expansionism and the attempt by China to change the international law through the use of force or acquiescence … or its attempt to reshape the world order to one that it controls,' Teodoro told the AP. Bersamin, who serves as executive secretary to Marcos and the Cabinet, has not specified the reasons for each Cabinet change but said 'the president has no patience for under performance." Bersamin said last week that Marcos decided to replace Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo with Foreign Undersecretary Theresa Lazaro, who has relayed Philippine protests and led talks with Chinese officials concerning an alarming spike of confrontations between Chinese and Philippine coast guard and naval forces in recent years. China claims virtually the entire South China Sea, a key global trade and security route despite a 2016 international arbitration ruling initiated by the Philippines that invalidated those expansive claims based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also are involved in the long-seething territorial standoffs regarded as a flashpoint in Asia.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
Philippine president's Cabinet revamp retains defense chief, a vocal critic of China's aggression
MANILA, Philippines — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will retain Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. , who is among the most vocal critics of China in Asia, as Marcos presses on with a midterm overhaul of his Cabinet, a senior official said Thursday. Teodoro, who has strongly echoed Marcos' criticisms of China's increasingly assertive actions in the South China Sea, will remain in his post, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin told a news conference.
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Philippine president's Cabinet revamp retains defense chief, a vocal critic of China's aggression
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will retain Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., who is among the most vocal critics of China in Asia, as Marcos presses on with a midterm overhaul of his Cabinet, a senior official said Thursday. Teodoro, who has strongly echoed Marcos' criticisms of China's increasingly assertive actions in the South China Sea, will remain in his post, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin told a news conference. Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre III will be the next chief of the 232,000-member national police. Torre led the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte in March and his turnover to International Criminal Court detention in The Netherlands for his deadly anti-drug crackdowns, Bersamin said. Last year, Torre oversaw the arrest of Philippine religious leader Apollo Quiboloy, a key Duterte supporter who was placed on the FBI's most-wanted list after being indicted for sexual abuses and trafficking in the U.S. Torre would take over his retiring predecessor, Gen. Rommel Marbil. Marcos asked all of his Cabinet secretaries last week to submit resignations in what the government said was a 'bold reset' of his administration following the May 12 midterm elections, which saw more opposition candidates win crucial Senate seats. Marcos, the 67-year-old son of a late Philippine dictator overthrown in 1986, won the presidency in the deeply divided Southeast Asian country by a landslide in 2022 in a stunning political comeback as he made a steadfast call for national unity. But his equally popular vice-presidential running mate, Sara Duterte, later had a falling out with him that has sparked intense political discord. With support from friendly countries including the U.S., a treaty ally, Marcos emerged as the most vocal critic of China's actions in the disputed South China Sea while contending with an array of longstanding domestic issues including inflation, delayed fulfillment of a campaign promise to bring down the price of rice and many reports of kidnappings and other crimes. Teodoro told The Associated Press in March that China's aggressive policies in the disputed waters were now considered the greatest threat to the Philippines' national security and should also be regarded as a global threat because it could choke a trade route that is crucial for global supply chains. 'The greatest external threat actually is Chinese aggression, Chinese expansionism and the attempt by China to change the international law through the use of force or acquiescence … or its attempt to reshape the world order to one that it controls,' Teodoro told the AP. Bersamin, who serves as executive secretary to Marcos and the Cabinet, has not specified the reasons for each Cabinet change but said 'the president has no patience for under performance.' Bersamin said last week that Marcos decided to replace Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo with Foreign Undersecretary Theresa Lazaro, who has relayed Philippine protests and led talks with Chinese officials concerning an alarming spike of confrontations between Chinese and Philippine coast guard and naval forces in recent years. China claims virtually the entire South China Sea, a key global trade and security route despite a 2016 international arbitration ruling initiated by the Philippines that invalidated those expansive claims based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also are involved in the long-seething territorial standoffs regarded as a flashpoint in Asia.
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- General
- Bloomberg
Marcos Promotes Police Officer Who Led Duterte Arrest
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. promoted a police officer who led the arrest of his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, as part of a broader government reorganization following a setback in recent elections. Police Major General Nicolas Torre will head the national police force, replacing retiring chief Rommel Marbil, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said in a briefing on Thursday.
