Marcos restores Cabinet Secretary post, gives it to Abalos

Cabinet Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr.  —INQUIRER.net file photo/Arnel Tacson

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos has revived a Malacañang office to formally place former Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos, his trusted friend and campaign manager, back into his Palace inner circle.

Palace press officer Claire Castro said the President appointed Abalos as Cabinet secretary, marking the latter’s return to the government after losing in the 2025 senatorial race.

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Abalos, who will turn 64 on July 19, took his oath before Marcos in Malacañang on Wednesday.

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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: Marcos wants Abalos back in gov’t, rules out Cabinet revamp

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, according to Castro.

Abalos will also head the Strategic Action and Response (Star) Office and, for this purpose, exercise supervision and control over its constituent offices, including the 8888 Citizens’ Complaint Center and the Presidential Action Center.

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The President issued Executive Order (EO) No. 38 in August 2023, reorganizing the Star Office to be under the Office of the Executive Secretary (OES), through the Office of the Deputy Executive Secretary for General Administration.

Priorities

In a statement, Abalos thanked Marcos for the “continuing opportunity to serve the President, the Administration, and the Filipino people with utmost integrity, dedication, and results.”

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“I accept this responsibility with humility and a firm commitment to help ensure that the government works efficiently, cohesively, and always in the service of the Filipino people,” he said.

As Cabinet secretary, Abalos said his priority would be to strengthen coordination across government agencies, support the effective implementation of the administration’s key programs, and promote a culture of professionalism, accountability, and excellence in public service.

READ: Alyansa Senate bet Benhur Abalos concedes

“Public service is a shared responsibility. Through unity, cooperation, and hard work, I am confident that we can deliver meaningful and lasting progress for our country,” he added.

Revival of OCS

Abalos’ return to the government is part of the ever-changing composition of Marcos’ Cabinet.

In May, the President named former Sen. Francis Tolentino as labor secretary, and professor Kim Robert de Leon as budget chief.

Abalos’ appointment marks the revival of the Office of the Cabinet Secretary (OCS) or the Cabinet Secretariat, which Marcos ordered abolished along with the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission, through his very first executive order, which he issued when he took his oath on June 30, 2022.

All of the powers and functions of the OCS were transferred to the Presidential Management Staff (PMS), which is also headed by a secretary-rank Cabinet member.

Prior to Abalos, the last Cabinet secretary was Melvin Matibag, who served in an acting capacity from March to June 2022, under then-President Rodrigo Duterte.

Matibag was appointed director of the National Bureau of Investigation in February.

DILG rumors

Marcos has yet to issue a new EO reviving the OCS and delineating its functions with that of the PMS and the OES.

Abalos’ return to the government has been abuzz since May 13, after the ban on appointing candidates who lost in the 2025 midterm polls has been lifted.

He was rumored to return to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), supposedly to replace Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla after the failure to arrest high-profile fugitives, including Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and former Rep. Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co.

The President himself addressed the issue in June, when he confirmed that he wanted Abalos to serve under his administration, but without the need to ease out an incumbent Cabinet member.

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“Of course, I want Benhur to play a more active role in government. Of course, he has been there, and he has been helping us in many ways, informally, privately. I wouldn’t mind finding a way for him to help us in an official capacity,” he told reporters during his visit to Kazan, Russia. /cb