Benhur Abalos Jr. appointed as cabinet secretary

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has appointed former Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. as Cabinet secretary, Palace press officer Claire Castro announced on Wednesday.

Castro said Abalos, who served as chief of the Department of the Interior and Local Government from 2022 to 2024, is set to take his oath of office before Marcos at Malacañang on the same day.

Among his responsibilities as Cabinet secretary will be assisting the President by providing “timely, relevant, and strategic advice on emerging national, local, and international issues affecting the political landscape.”

READ: Abalos to check if Cebu has Pogos

He will also serve as Marcos’ liaison to national government agencies, local government units, political organizations, groups or parties, civil society organizations, and sectoral groups on matters of political concern, as directed by the President, Castro said.

Moreover, Abalos will head the Strategic Action and Response Office and, for this purpose, exercise supervision and control over its constituent offices.

Abalos’ appointment marks the revival of the Office of the Cabinet Secretary, which Marcos ordered abolished in July 2022 along with the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission.

The directive was contained in Executive Order No. 1, signed by then-Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez, which stated that the Office of the President proper and its attached agencies and offices were being reorganized through the abolition of “duplicated and overlapping official functions.”

At a media interview in Kazan, Russia in June 2026, Marcos said he wants Abalos to play a more active role in government but clarified that this would not come at the expense of any current Cabinet official.

The statement comes amid speculation about the possible exit of current Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, who is allegedly being eyed for replacement by Abalos.

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