Following unfavorable results in the 2025 Philippine midterm elections, President Bongbong Marcos issued a directive on May 22, 2025, asking for the courtesy resignations of his cabinet secretaries, heads of agencies, presidential advisers, undersecretaries, assistant secretaries, regional directors, provincial directors, etc.
This was the first cabinet reshuffle in the Philippines since the Hello Garci scandal under then president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Background
The Marcos-backed Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas underperformed expectations in the Philippine Senate election, only winning six of the twelve seats up for election, the lowest for an administration-backed ticket since 2007. Political groups opposed to the administration—DuterTen and KiBam—gained seats in upset victories. In the House of Representatives, the Lakas–CMD remained the largest party with 104 of its congressional candidates winning in local races, albeit with fewer seats at the end of the outgoing 19th Congress. President Bongbong Marcos deemed the results a rejection of his governance.
Courtesy resignation directive In response to the elections, President Marcos issued a directive on May 22, 2025, asking all members for their courtesy resignations to allow for the assessment of each department and to adjust his administration in line with its "recalibrated priorities". As of June 28, 2025, all cabinet secretaries, heads of agencies, and presidential advisers and assistants tendered their courtesy resignations.
On May 28, 2025, the Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG) extended the courtesy resignation directive to all non-ex officio chairpersons, chief executive officers (CEOs) and appointive members of government-owned and controlled corporations.
Changes in the Cabinet
First phase On May 23, 2025, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin announced the initial lineup in the cabinet reshuffle. The resignations of the Secretaries of Foreign Affairs, Environment and Natural Resources and the Human Settlements and Urban Development were accepted and replaced. The resignations filed by the Executive Secretary, the Secretaries of Finance, Budget and Management, Trade and Industry, Economy, Planning and Development and the Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs were rejected and retained in the current positions.
Second phase On May 29, 2025, Executive Secretary Bersamin announced the second wave of the Cabinet reshuffle, with the resignations of the Solicitor General and the Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education accepted. Meanwhile, the resignations tendered by the Secretaries of National Defense, Justice, and the Interior and Local Government were declined, and they will remain in their current posts.
Third phase On June 3, 2025, Executive Secretary Bersamin announced the third phase of the cabinet reshuffle. The resignations of the Chairman of the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor and the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas and the Presidential Adviser on Muslim Affairs were accepted. While the Presidential Adviser for Special Concerns was dismissed. Meanwhile, the resignations submitted by the remaining Cabinet Secretaries and heads of key agencies—including those in Customs, Internal Revenue, the Treasury, and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority—were not accepted, and they will remain in their posts.
The ongoing “performance review” of the remaining Cabinet-rank Secretaries including the National Security Adviser, and the Secretary of the Presidential Communications Office, continued with all concerned officials remaining in their current positions for the time being. Later on, the National Security Adviser was retained on June 10, 2025.
On June 17, President Marcos reappointed Jay Ruiz as Secretary of the Presidential Communications Office and Henry Aguda as Secretary of Information and Communications Technology, thereby nullifying their earlier courtesy resignations, which followed their being bypassed by the Commission on Appointments.
Fourth phase Then, on June 19, as part of the fourth phase of the ongoing reshuffle, President Marcos accepted the courtesy resignations of the Secretary of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office, the Presidential Adviser for Police and Military Affairs, and the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Philippine National Oil Company Renewables Corporation. However, he retained the heads of key agencies, particularly those overseeing government-controlled financial institutions such as the Development Bank of the Philippines, the Land Bank of the Philippines, and the Government Service Insurance System, as well as prominent government-owned and controlled corporations, including the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.
On June 28, Executive Secretary Bersamin announced the courtesy resignation of the Chairperson of the Philippine Sports Commission was accepted announced the new appointment of Patrick Gregorio as its head.
On June 30, President Marcos subsequently replaced the Commissioner of the Bureau of Customs, although no reason was provided at the time.
Fifth phase On July 10, 2025, President Marcos carried out another round of Cabinet reshuffles, replacing Jay Ruiz as Secretary of the Presidential Communications Office with Dave Gomez, a former marketing executive and communications director at PMFTC Inc., the Philippine affiliate of Philip Morris International. Ruiz was subsequently appointed to the Board of Directors of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO), the Philippines’ de facto embassy in Taiwan. In the same shake-up, Marcos also appointed Sharon Garin appointed as a full-term Secretary of Energy, who previously served as Officer-in-Charge of the department.
Changes in the executive departments Color key Cabinet Secretary Position before reshuffle Position after reshuffle Image NameJose AcuzarSecretary of Human Settlements and Urban DevelopmentPresidential Adviser for Pasig River Development Raphael Lotilla Secretary of EnergySecretary of Environment and Natural ResourcesJose Ramon AlilingUndersecretary of Human Settlements and Urban DevelopmentSecretary of Human Settlements and Urban Development Rolando ToledoUndersecretary for Budget Preparation and Execution Group of the Department of Budget and ManagementActing Secretary of Budget and ManagementTess LazaroUndersecretary of Foreign AffairsSecretary of Foreign AffairsSharon Garin Undersecretary of EnergySecretary of EnergyDave GomezNoneSecretary of the Presidential Communications OfficeDarlene BerberabeNone (Dean of the University of the Philippines College of Law)Solicitor General of the PhilippinesGiovanni Z. LopezUndersecretary for Administration, Finance, and Procurement of the Department of TransportationActing Secretary of Transportation Fredderick A. VidaUndersecretary of JusticeActing Secretary of JusticeEnrique Manalo Secretary of Foreign AffairsPermanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nationsassumed office on September 9, 2025.Jay RuizSecretary of the Presidential Communications OfficeMember of the Board of Directors of the Manila Economic and Cultural OfficeToni Yulo-LoyzagaSecretary of Environment and Natural ResourcesDismissed from the government Menardo GuevarraSolicitor General of the Philippines Mark Llandro MendozaPresidential Adviser on Legislative Affairs and Head of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office Roman A. FelixPresidential Adviser on Police and Military Affairs Almarim TillahPresidential Adviser on Muslim Affairs Terence CalatravaPresidential Assistant for Visayas Meynard Sabili Chairman of the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor Menandro EspinelliPresidential Adviser for Special Concerns
Changes in the agencies, authorities and offices under the Office of the President and executive departments Color key Head of Agencies Position before reshuffle Position after reshuffle Image NameShirley AgrupisCommissioner of the Commission on Higher EducationChairperson of the Commission on Higher EducationAriel NepomucenoExecutive Director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and Administrator of the Office of Civil DefenseCommissioner of the Bureau of CustomsBernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IVAssistant Secretary of the Office of Civil Defense Officer in Charge of the Office of Civil DefensePatrick GregorioNoneChairperson of the Philippine Sports CommissionJ. Prospero de Vera IIIChairperson of the Commission on Higher EducationDismissed from the governmentJohn J. ArenasPresident and CEO of the PNOC Renewables Corporation Dickie BachmannChairperson of the Philippine Sports CommissionBienvenido Y. RubioCommissioner of the Bureau of Customs
Reactions Philippine government officials House Committee on Dangerous Drugs Chairman and Surigao del Norte Representative Ace Barbers remarked that the President's directive paves the way for the removal of underperforming senior officials—particularly those who fail to defend him when he or his administration comes under fire from critics or the opposition.
In response to President Marcos Jr.’s call for Cabinet courtesy resignations following the midterm elections, ML party-list Representative-elect Leila de Lima welcomed the move as a potential reset—if carried out with resolve. It reflects an awareness that the public expects more—more coherence, more competence, and more decisive leadership,” she noted. De Lima warned, however, that without genuine intent and firm governance, the perception of Marcos as a lame-duck president would only deepen.
Business community The Makati Business Club (MBC) expressed satisfaction with Marcos' economic team and does not expect a major change in that part of his cabinet. Marcos retained the economic team, a move welcomed by the MBC and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI).
Cardema's call for the COMELEC Chairperson to resign Ronald Cardema of Duterte Youth had asked Commission on Elections (COMELEC) chairperson George Garcia to resign after posting on social media that Marilyn Barua-Yap, the chairperson of the Civil Service Commission (CSC), also submitted her courtesy resignation. Barua-Yap denied resigning, explaining that the president's order for cabinet members to resign did not apply to her, or to any of the independent constitutional offices (i.e. COMELEC and CSC, among others) as it was not part of the executive branch of government.
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