Angeles, Calida resign

Press Secretary Rose Beatrix "Trixie" Cruz-Angeles and Commission on Audit (CoA) Chairman Jose Calida. TMT FILE PHOTO

By Catherine S. Valente  and Kristina Maralit

October 5, 2022

Press Secretary Rose Beatrix "Trixie" Cruz-Angeles and Commission on Audit (CoA) Chairman Jose Calida. TMT FILE PHOTO

(UPDATE) TWO members of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s Cabinet have resigned from their posts, Malacañang said on Tuesday.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin confirmed that Press Secretary Rose Beatrix "Trixie" Cruz-Angeles and Commission on Audit (CoA) Chairman Jose Calida had filed their letter of resignation.

In a statement, Cruz-Angeles said she tendered her resignation for "health reasons."

"I tendered my resignation this morning, effective end of business hours today. Due to health reasons. It was a pleasure working with you," she also said.

Cruz-Angeles is the second Cabinet official who stepped down after Victor Rodriguez announced on Sept. 17, 2022, that he has resigned as executive secretary but will continue serving Marcos as his chief of staff.

Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Hubert Guevara said the President is yet to appoint Cruz-Angeles' replacement.

"She tendered her resignation today. We're still in the process of helping the office address her resignation today," Guevara said.

"Wala pa hong bagong (There is still no new) press secretary. Hopefully, in the near future, we will have [a] new press secretary," he said.

According to Guevarra, Marcos gave Cruz-Angeles a "thank you note" after her resignation.

When asked if there are already names being considered to replace Cruz-Angeles, Guevarra said there was none.

Earlier in the day, the President reappointed some of his Cabinet members who were bypassed by the Commission on Appointments.

Cruz-Angeles was among the officials who were not on the list and not present during the ceremony.

Rumors about Cruz-Angeles' quitting from her post circulated after Marcos' working visit to the United States.

In May, she accepted the offer to be press secretary and head of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO).

She previously served as PCOO's social media strategist from July 2017 to July 2018 during the administration of then-president Rodrigo Duterte.

As a lawyer, she is known for representing military officers charged with rebellion and mutiny.

Cruz-Angeles was also a former commissioner for Cultural Heritage of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and former spokesman for the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.

She was also a member of then-Chief Justice Renato Corona's legal team during his impeachment trial in 2012.

Meanwhile, Bersamin also confirmed that Calida has stepped down as CoA chairman, but he declined to answer when prodded about the reason for the latter's resignation.

"He (Calida) tendered his resignation for many reasons, but it's up to him to later explain to you or publish what were his reasons, but we accepted that with regret and we commended him for his patriotism for serving for a short while," he said.

Calida, who served as solicitor general under the Duterte administration, is yet to issue a statement on the matter.

"Please be advised that the chairman was one of the officials whose appointment was bypassed by the Commission on Appointments," CoA's public information office said in a statement on reports of Calida's resignation.

"Today, the President issued the reappointments of 10 Cabinet members, unfortunately, Chairman Calida was not one of those reappointed," it added.

The commission said it would wait for Marcos' appointment of a new chairman.

Calida had served as the undersecretary of the Department of Justice from 2001 to 2004.

He also previously held the executive director post at the Dangerous Drugs Board.

Calida graduated from Ateneo de Davao University in 1969.

In 1973, he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from the Ateneo de Manila University and passed the Bar the same year, according to the Office of the Solicitor General's website.

Also on Tuesday, Bersamin said his predecessor, Victor Rodriguez, was no longer a part of the Marcos administration.

Speaking to Palace reporters, he said there is no official document delegating Rodriguez as presidential chief of staff.

"No, he is no longer a member of the Cabinet. You must recall that he resigned for a specific reason, and that reason is well published. We cannot second-guess that reason. Take it as it was stated by the secretary and let us respect his privacy," Bersamin noted during a media interview.

Bersamin issued the statement after Rodriguez on September 17 announced his decision to step down from office to assume his new role as the President's chief of staff.

Then-press secretary Cruz-Angeles earlier said Marcos signed Administrative Order (AO) 1 creating the Office of the Presidential Chief of Staff, which will be under the direct supervision of the Office of the President.

The Office of the Presidential Chief of Staff shall have the primary function of supervising and ensuring the "efficient and responsive" day-to-day operational support to the presidency to enable the President to focus on strategic national concerns, she said, citing AO 1.

Cruz-Angeles added that Rodriguez "will immediately" assume his new position as presidential chief of staff, which will have the rank and emoluments of a Cabinet secretary.

Malacañang, however, is yet to release a copy of AO 1.

Bersamin said he has not seen the order creating the position, which was reportedly signed by the President last month.

"Kung meron talaga, ililitaw natin kung meron. Pero up to now, wala pang lumilitaw na ganyan (If there is really [AO 1], we will make it public. However, we are yet to see it up to now)," he added.

The new executive secretary said they do not even talk about the order.

He also asked that Rodriguez's privacy must be respected.

"And to be fair to him as well as to the President, let us not belabor that issue kasi (because) the decision has been made. I was appointed executive secretary. I was sworn into office and that should put that matter to rest," he added.

Rodriguez was Marcos' longtime chief of staff and spokesman before he was nominated as an executive secretary in May.

Bersamin, on the other hand, was named as executive secretary on September 27.

Prior to his role in the Marcos administration, he served as chief justice from 2018 to 2019 during the term of then-president Rodrigo Duterte.