Palace begins review of Marcos appointees

MANILA, Philippines — The performance review ordered by Malacañang of all presidential appointees is not intended to purge critics of President Marcos, a Palace official maintained yesterday.

Malacañang has ordered presidential appointees, including those in government-owned or controlled corporations (GOCCs), appointed before Feb. 1, 2023 to update their personal data and provide proof that they have no pending criminal or administrative cases.

The directive covers presidential appointees from June 30, 2022 to Jan. 30, 2023, which some camps claim included those appointed during the tenure of Marcos’ former executive secretary Vic Rodriguez.

Presidential Communications Office Secretary Cheloy Garafil insisted there was no purging of Marcos’ critics, including those appointed by former president Rodrigo Duterte.

Garafil said the order is part of the government’s regular review of the performance and qualifications of presidential appointees, including those appointed by Marcos.

The memorandum issued by Presidential Management Staff chief Elaine Masukat on Feb. 2 directed the appointees to submit their updated Personal Data Sheet.

The presidential appointees were also directed to provide clearances from the Civil Service Commission, National Bureau of Investigation, Office of the Ombudsman and the anti-graft court, Sandiganbayan.

“This is a directive for all presidential appointees to ensure that those who are qualified will remain in office,” Garafil said in a text message to reporters on Monday, referring to the memo circulating online.

The presidential appointees must submit all requirements to the PMS within 30 days from the issuance of the order.

The memo was addressed to all heads of departments, agencies, offices, including GOCCs, government financial institutions as well as state universities and colleges.

There were speculations that the order aims to purge critics of the Marcos administration, including those appointed during the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte and Rodriguez’s term as executive secretary.

Critics said the PMS issued the memorandum after Rodriguez appeared in a Davao City prayer rally last month to protest Charter change through a people’s initiative being pushed by Marcos’ allies in the House of Representatives.

Rodriguez resigned in September 2022 following the controversy over the Sugar Regulatory Administration’s order to import 300,000 metric tons of sugar.

Duterte has said Marcos could be ousted like his late father and namesake if moves to amend the Constitution push through.

The former leader also accused Marcos of being a drug addict. Marcos has brushed aside his predecessor’s tirades, attributing these to Duterte’s use of the addictive painkiller fentanyl.

During the kick-off rally for the administration’s governance branding “Bagong Pilipinas” last month, Marcos reminded state workers that they are the “servants of the people,” not their “lords.”

The National Government Rightsizing Program bill is among Marcos’ priority measures.

In a speech in April last year, Marcos said the rightsizing program being pushed by the administration is not meant to lay off state workers, but to upskill and reskill them to improve government services.