Metro Manila, Philippines – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has accepted the resignations of Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin and Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, Malacañang announced Monday, Nov. 17 – both influential positions in the Cabinet.
The two officials tendered their resignation out of delicadeza or propriety after their offices were implicated in allegations linked to the flood control anomaly.
“President Marcos accepts (the) resignation of Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin and Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman,” Palace press officer Claire Castro said in a hastily called late afternoon briefing.
“Both respectfully offered and tendered their resignations out of delicadeza after their departments were mentioned in allegations related to the flood control anomaly currently under investigation and in recognition of the responsibility to allow the administration to address the matter appropriately,” she said
Marcos praised Bersamin, a former chief justice, for his leadership.
“Executive Secretary Bersamin brought decades of legal wisdom, calm stewardship, and a deep respect for institution building. His contributions will remain part of the foundation on which continuing reforms stand,” Castro read from a statement of the president.
Pangandaman was also lauded for strengthening fiscal management.
“Secretary Pangandaman guided the timely passage of the national budgets and ensured that social programs and frontline services were funded and delivered,” Marcos further said.
New leadership
Marcos appointed Finance Secretary Ralph Recto as executive secretary.
Castro said Recto’s experience in economic policy, fiscal legislation, and national planning positions him to oversee daily government operations and coordinate high-impact programs.
Frederick Go, special assistant to the president for investment and economic Affairs, is the new finance secretary. His previous position remains vacant.
Castro said Go has been central in advancing investments, strengthening investor confidence, and aligning economic initiatives across agencies.
The Department of Budget and Management will temporarily be led by Undersecretary Rolando Yu Toledo as officer-in-charge.
Controversies
In September, former Public Works Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo said Bersamin was among officials receiving kickbacks from flood control projects.
He said in a sworn affidavit that Education Undersecretary Trygve Olaivar discussed “unprogrammed appropriations supposedly for the Office of the Executive Secretary” totaling P2.85 billion, with a reported 15 percent “commitment.”
Bersamin denied the accusations.
“I stand by my untarnished record as a long-serving public servant, first as a career judicial officer and now as the executive secretary,” Bersamin had said.
Pangandaman also rejected allegations from former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co about P100 billion in insertions in the current budget.
“All appropriations ordered by the president are already in the National Expenditure Program. That is why it is called the President’s Budget. So we reject any insinuations about it,” she earlier said.
In a video statement, Co said Pangandaman had asked him to confirm the president’s order regarding the budget insertions with Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) Undersecretary Adrian Bersamin.
In a later announcement, Castro said the PLLO official, the nephew of the former executive secretary, has also resigned out of delicadeza.
“These leadership changes reinforce the president’s commitment to strengthening institutions, improving coordination across government, and keeping the administration focused on delivering stability, opportunity, and security to Filipino families. All agencies will continue to operate without interruption and with the same commitment to effective governance and public service,” she said.
