Palace: No Laws Violated in Acting Cabinet Appointments

Malacañang on Thursday stood firm that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is not violating any law even as some of his appointed Cabinet officials still serve in an acting capacity. Palace Press Officer Usec. Claire Castro said this in a press briefing, responding to the statement of Senator Imee Marcos that over a dozen Cabinet officials still have not undergone scrutiny and confirmation by the Commission on Appointments (CA). “Hindi nagtatalaga ng permanenteng mga opisyal na dadaan sa Commission on Appointments; bakit? Kalapastanganan na naman sa Saligang Batas!” Senator Imee, sister of the President, said. (They aren’t appointing permanent officials who would undergo the process of the Commission on Appointments; why? This is another violation of the Constitution!) “Dalawang taon na lang ang administrasyong ito, puro ‘acting’ lang lahat, mga overacting na,” she added. (This administration has only two years left, yet everyone is just in ‘acting’ capacity. They are now over-acting.) The CA is mandated to approve or disapprove appointments made by the President of the Philippines, the confirmation of which is required under the 1987 Constitution. But Castro said that she cannot question the decisions of the President. She said that Marcos has not given any explanation as to why some acting secretaries are not yet being called to the CA. “Unang unang, prerogative ng Pangulo ‘yan at tumutupad ang Pangulo sa batas,” the Palace official said. (First of all, that is the prerogative of the President, and the President is following the law.) “Sa ngayon po ay naaayon pa rin ang pag-a-appoint sa mga acting secretary katulad ni Sec. Dave Gomez, siya po ay interim appointee as of July 10. So wala po nilalabag na anumang proseso, batas ang ating Pangulo,” she added. (For now, the appointment of acting secretaries like Sec. Dave Gomez is still in accordance with the law. He is an interim appointee as of July 10. So there is no violation of any process, and our President is following the law.) Based on the art card posted by Imee Marcos on her Facebook page, the following Cabinet officials are still serving in an acting capacity: —LDF, GMA News