Bersamin, Pangandaman resign; Recto appointed govt secretary

(1st UPDATE) Government Secretary Lucas Bersamin and Finances Secretary Amenah Pangandaman ‘tendered their resignations out of delicadeza after their departments have been talked about in allegations associated to the flood management anomaly,’ says Malacañang

MANILA, Philippines – Government Secretary Lucas Bersamin and Finances Secretary Amenah Pangandaman resigned, Malacañang introduced on Monday afternoon, November 17, in a last-minute press convention.

Palace press officer Undersecretary Claire Castro stated President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has accepted the resignation of the 2 officers.

“Each officers respectfully provided and tendered their resignations out of delicadeza after their departments have been talked about in allegations associated to the flood management anomaly presently below investigation, and in recognition of the accountability to permit the administration to handle the matter appropriately,” Castro stated.

Finance Secretary Ralph Recto will exchange Bersamin as govt secretary, whereas Frederick Go, presidential assistant for funding and financial affairs, will succeed Recto on the Division of Finance.

Recto is Marcos’ third govt secretary. Bersamin, a former chief justice, was appointed govt secretary in September 2022, changing Vic Rodriguez who served for less than two and a half months.

Recto, a former senator and congressman, was Nationwide Financial and Improvement Authority chief from 2008 to 2009. He was appointed to the finance chief publish in January 2024.

“Secretary Recto’s lengthy document in financial policymaking, fiscal laws, and nationwide planning positions him nicely to supervise the day-to-day operations of presidency and coordinate the implementation of high-impact packages,” Castro stated.

Of latest finance chief Go, Castro stated: “Secretary Go has performed a central position in advancing investments, strengthening investor confidence, and aligning financial initiatives throughout companies. He’ll now oversee the nation’s fiscal path and the implementation of the administration’s financial agenda.”

In the meantime, Finances Undersecretary Rolando Toledo will function officer-in-charge of the Division of Finances and Administration following Pangandaman’s resignation.

Simply because the bulletins have been made in Malacañang, Senator Erwin Tulfo congratulated Recto on his new position. Recto and Pangandaman have been on the Senate for the continuation of plenary debates on the proposed 2026 nationwide price range.

Bersamin was earlier rumored to be among the many Cupboard officers who could be sacked in Could, when the President requested for the courtesy resignation of his total Cupboard as a part of his administration’s “daring reset” after the 2025 elections, the place not even half of his anointed Senate bets received seats.

However lengthy earlier than that, Bersamin was usually rumored to be due for substitute — though discuss would dissipate as rapidly because it arose.

The most recent main shake-up within the Marcos Cupboard comes because the administration is rocked by the exact same crackdown on corruption that the President had ordered in his State of the Nation Deal with in July. Corruption was additionally among the many elements that dragged financial progress within the third quarter to its slowest in 4 years.

Bersamin has been alleged to have benefited from corruption tied to anomalous flood management tasks by Roberto Bernardo, a former undersecretary on the public works division. Earlier than the Senate blue ribbon committee, Bernardo claimed in a sworn assertion final September {that a} “15% agreed dedication” was supposedly allotted for the Workplace of the Government Secretary. Bersamin had denied the allegations.

In November, embattled Marcos ally and former Home appropriations chairperson Zaldy Co accused Marcos himself of ordering P100 billion in undertaking insertions as Congress was reconciling variations within the two chambers’ deliberation of the price range.

Co, in movies launched by way of his workplace, claimed that among the many Palace officers who supposedly confirmed the President’s insertion orders was Presidential Legislative Liaison Workplace head Adrian Bersamin, a relative of Lucas Bersamin’s, who was a part of his workplace then. – with reviews from Bea Cupin and Tatiana Maligro/Rappler.com