Marcos restructures Office of the President, renames press office anew

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. ordered the main Malacañang-based office streamlined through a new executive order.

EO 11, signed December 29 and released Wednesday, aims to make processes involving the Office of the President "achieve simplicity, economy and efficiency" by restructuring affiliated offices and agencies.

Folded under the Office of the President are five major offices that will be directly under Marcos' control, namely:

• Executive Office
• Office of the Chief Presidential Legal Counsel
• Private Office
• Office of the Special Assistant to the President
• Presidential Communications Office

The EO also renames the Office of the Press Secretary to the Presidential Communications Office, responsible for "crafting, formulating, developing, enhancing and coordinating the messaging system of the Executive branch and the Office of the President."

The Executive Office, meanwhile, under Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin has been granted direct supervision over the Presidential Management Staff or PMS. Under the EO, the office now consists of:

• Offices of the Executive Secretary and deputies
• Presidential Management Staff
• Internal Audit Office

The PMS, moreover, has been tasked to assume the role of Correspondence Office as well as Cabinet Secretariat assisting the president in establishing "agenda topics for Cabinet deliberation and facilitating discussion" of meetings.

The Private Office has also been tasked to supervise the Protocol Office and Social Secretary's Office as well as to attend to needs of the president and the first family in both official and personal matters.

The Presidential Assistants and the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office has been placed under the Office of the Special Assistant to the President "to push the administration's priority measures" in Congress, according to a statement.

Despite the streamlining, EO 11 retains the functions and mandates of all offices and agencies named.