Presumptive president Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos has tapped his campaign manager Benhur Abalos to a future Cabinet position, as the next secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Marcos’ spokesman Vic Rodriguez announced the appointment in a press conference on Friday.
“I would also like to announce that chairman Benhur Abalos has been nominated to lead [the DILG] and he has accepted the challenge,” Rodriguez said.
Before becoming Marcos’ campaign manager, Abalos was chair of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.
Marcos earlier announced appointing his running-mate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio as the next chief of the Department of Education.
Rodriguez said only the appointments of Abalos and Duterte-Carpio had been finalized and said the list of supposed Cabinet appointees of Marcos circulating on social media was not true.
“We’re in the process of searching and looking up for possible nominees for different Cabinet positions. I don’t think anyone should expect that it can be announced in one setting because as you know the vetting process takes time and appointing and nominating someone, it’s not a one way thing, it has to be accepted and it has to be offered,” he said. John Ezekiel J. Hirro