EDITORIAL — Expectations from a reshuffle

One outcome is expected when there are changes in the Cabinet: better services from the government.

In recent days, President Marcos has appointed new heads of the Department of Information and Communications Technology and the Presidential Communications Office, and swapped the secretaries of public works and transportation.

For the PCO, the public can guess what the President expects of its new chief Lino Cayetano, who replaced Dave Gomez: getting across efficiently to the nation what the Marcos administration is doing, and countering disinformation.

The Palace offered a vague explanation for the swap of Vince Dizon and Giovanni Lopez, announced on Oct. 26.

Dizon returned to the Department of Transportation as the Department of Public Works and Highways continued to be mired in controversy over corruption-tainted infrastructure projects and lawmakers’ insertions in the DPWH budget proposal for 2027.

Lopez is expected to continue carrying out a thorough DPWH cleanup and implement structural reforms that will put an end to the systemic corruption in the agency.

Dizon must improve mass transport facilities while big-ticket projects including railways and the Metro Manila subway have been delayed because Congress realigned counterpart funding.

On Oct. 13, Social Security System president and CEO Robert Joseph de Claro replaced Henry Aguda as DICT chief. People expect De Claro to improve digital connectivity for both civilian and government use, and do more to fight digital scams as well as groups that are grooming minors to commit murder and self-harm.

The latest changes followed the replacement in July of Teodoro Herbosa as health secretary by Jose Pujalte Jr., who resigned in less than a month and was replaced by Edwin Mercado. The public health sector is in dire need of a boost, with political patronage removed from health programs.

In May this year, Kim Robert de Leon took over the Department of Budget and Management from Amenah Pangandaman, who was appointed in July as chair and CEO of the Al-Amanah Islamic Investment Bank of the Philippines. Benhur Abalos was appointed as Cabinet secretary in July.

The 2027 General Appropriations Bill produced by the House of Representatives indicates that little was learned from the massive corruption scandal revolving around public works and the budget process. Budget watchdogs are wondering if the process can be cleaned up under De Leon’s watch.

Every change in the President’s official family raises expectations for reforms and better services. With just two years left in Marcos’ term, the ongoing reshuffle should not disappoint.