Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II will formally step down from his Cabinet post on Friday (September 11) to give way to Rep. Mel Senen Sarmiento as the new chief of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Caloocan Rep. Edgar “Egay” Erice made the announcement on Wednesday (September 9), a day after President Benigno Aquino III named Sarmiento to be Roxas’s successor.
Related: Aquino names LP stalwart to replace Roxas at DILG
Erice, who is also the ruling Liberal Party (LP) chairman for Political and Electoral Affairs, added that Sarmiento — along with other DILG undersecretaries — would now be presenting the DILG’s proposed budget for 2016.
The budget hearing was scheduled for August 27 but it was canceled as Roxas was overseeing the aftermath of Typhoon Ineng that time.
By Monday (September 14), Sarmiento will be leading the department’s flag-raising ceremony.
Sarmiento vows to be nonpartisan
Meanwhile, Sarmiento said also on Wednesday that he would be filing a leave of absence soon as LP secretary general and would also be sending a letter of resignation as representative of the First District of Western Samar.
He said he was thankful for the trust given to him by the president and he planned to continue what Roxas and the late Secretary Jesse Robredo started at the DILG.
Sarmiento added that there was a lot of work to be done, specifically security preparations for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting in November, the 2016 elections — even the nightmarish traffic problem in Metro Manila.
Despite being an LP stalwart, Sarmiento allayed fears that his position might be used to the administration’s advantage.
“Ang DILG ay hindi magpapagamit sa kahit sinong kandidato,” he said.
[Translation: “The DILG will not allow itself to be used by any candidate.”]
