Angeles, Calida resign; Rodriguez out of Marcos cabinet
Two Cabinet officials under Marcos Jr. have stepped down.
Trixie Cruz-Angeles stepped down as press secretary on Oct. 4, citing health reasons while Jose Calida resigned Commission on Audit chairperson on the same day.
Cruz-Angeles told reporters she tendered her resignation Tuesday morning, taking effect after business hours, or at 5:00 PM.
Last week, there were already rumors of her impending resignation after the Commission on Appointments (CA) bypassed her.
There were also rumors that Cruz-Angeles will be replaced by Mike Toledo, who once held the position under the Estrada administration. The Palace has yet to confirm or deny this.
Jose Calida also resigned Commission on Audit chairperson today, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said.
Bersamin noted that Calida, former solicitor general, was also bypassed by the CA.
The resignations come after President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s executive secretary Vic Rodriguez stepped down from office two weeks ago, Sept. 17.
Rodriguez earlier resigned amid issues in the country's sugar importation issue. Cruz-Angeles then announced that it was Rodriguez who allegedly gave the order, supposedly unauthorized and illegal, to import 300,000 metric tons of sugar. He denied the allegations, and was later cleared from the issue.
Bersamin, former chief justice, took over Rodriguez's role.
No order designating Rodriguez as Chief of Staff
— ONE News PH (@onenewsph) October 4, 2022
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin confirmed to reporters on Tuesday that his predecessor, Atty. Vic Rodriguez, is no longer a part of Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s administration. pic.twitter.com/aHiPKCjWMK
Rodriguez also confirmed his exit from the Marcos Jr. cabinet on Oct. 5, noting it happened after having spoken to the president "at length" about his wish to spend most of his time with his family. The decision, Rodriguez noted, was "happily made."
The former executive secretary said his conversation with Marcos Jr. regarding his stint is "absolutely privileged," hence his "continued silence" on the matter. He also claimed that he has been "ridiculed, maligned, and subjected to baseless and unfair commentaries on all conceivable platforms," yet asserted that he has a "clear conscience."
