Cabinet Secretariat of the Philippines

Cabinet Secretary
Kalihim ng Gabinete
StyleThe Honorable
AppointerThe President
Term lengthAt the President's pleasure
FormationDecember 22, 1986
AbolishedJune 30, 2022
Cabinet Secretariat
Kalihiman ng Gabinete
Seal as the Office of the Cabinet Secretary
Cabinet overview
FormedDecember 22, 1986
DissolvedJune 30, 2022

The Cabinet Secretariat (Filipino: Kalihiman ng Gabinete), formerly the Office of the Cabinet Secretary (Filipino: Tanggapan ng Kalihim ng Gabinete), was a member agency of the Cabinet of the Philippines which provided support to the President, facilitated the exchange of information, as well as discussed and resolved issues among Cabinet members. The Cabinet Secretary also acted as a coordinator and integrator of the initiatives of the President.[1] The Cabinet Secretariat was created through Executive Order No. 237, s. 1987.[2]

History

The position of Cabinet Secretary traced its origins to the War Cabinet of the Commonwealth government-in-exile, when Col. Manuel Nieto was appointed Secretary to the Cabinet by President Manuel L. Quezon in Asheville, NC.[3] Under President Carlos P. Garcia, a Cabinet Secretariat was formally established as an attached agency of the Executive Office headed by the Executive Secretary. Under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos, its responsibilities were transferred to the Office of the Prime Minister.

Following the People Power Revolution, the Cabinet Secretariat was reestablished through Executive Order No. 237, s. 1987 signed by President Corazon Aquino. It was renamed as the Office of the Cabinet Secretary by President Benigno Aquino III on October 31, 2012, through Executive Order No. 99. He reinstated the Office of the Cabinet Secretary as an independent body from the Presidential Management Staff, similar to its original mandate in 1987. The Cabinet Secretary was given cabinet ranking and staff support.[3]

The office underwent a reform in 2018, when President Rodrigo Duterte issued Executive Order No. 67, which transferred eight agencies under it to other government agencies and renamed it back as the Cabinet Secretariat.[4]

On June 30, 2022, President Bongbong Marcos issued Executive Order No. 1, which abolished the office alongside the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission. All powers and functions will be transferred to the Presidential Management Staff.[5]

Powers and Functions

According to Section 2 of Executive Order No. 99, the powers and functions of the Office of the Cabinet Secretary were as follows:[1]

Sec. 2. Powers and Functions

a. Facilitate the identification of a list of priority areas and outcome-based targets in the Social Contract and PDP 2011-2016, in consultation with the Cabinet Clusters, for final approval of the President;
b. Recommend to the President an annual detailed and measurable performance and projects roadmap that will facilitate outputs of the targets against priorities, in close coordination with the concerned agencies;
c. Ensure the timely execution and monitor the significant impact of the targets under the annual performance and projects roadmap, and re-align targets when needed;
d. Represent the President in meetings and such other fora in order to expedite inter-agency action towards the achievement of the targets identified in the performance and projects roadmap;
e. Assist in providing timely and organized information to the Cabinet on issues and problems submitted for decision and action; and

f. Perform such other functions as may be necessary and incidental to the attainment of its objectives or as may be assigned by the President.

Reorganization

Eight agencies under the Cabinet Secretariat were placed under the jurisdiction of other agencies when President Rodrigo Duterte reorganized the office. The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Cooperative Development Authority were placed under the Department of Trade and Industry; the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos and the Philippine Commission on Women to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG); and the National Anti-Poverty Commission, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples and the Presidential Commission on the Urban Poor to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).[4]

List of Cabinet Secretaries

Name Term started Term ended President Era
Fulgencio Factoran Jr. December 22, 1986 April 1987 Corazon Aquino[6] Fifth Republic
Jose de Jesus April 1987 January 1990
Aniceto Sobrepeña January 1990 June 30, 1992
Ma. Leonora Vasquez-de Jesus June 30, 1992 March 1996 Fidel V. Ramos[7]
Alexander Aguirre April 1996 June 30, 1998
None appointed June 30, 1998 January 20, 2001 Joseph Ejercito Estrada[8]
Ricardo Saludo January 20, 2001 June 30, 2004 Gloria Macapagal Arroyo[9]
Silvestre H. Bello III June 30, 2004 June 30, 2010
Jose Rene Almendras November 5, 2012 March 8, 2016 Benigno S. Aquino III[10]
Leoncio Evasco Jr. June 30, 2016 October 16, 2018 Rodrigo Duterte[11]
Karlo Nograles November 5, 2018 March 7, 2022
Melvin Matibag (acting) March 9, 2022[12] June 30, 2022
Office abolished. All powers and functions transferred to the Presidential Management Staff by virtue of Executive Order No. 1, s. 2022. Bongbong Marcos

References

  1. ^ a b "Executive Order No. 99, s. 2012". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. October 31, 2012. Archived from the original on January 13, 2018.
  2. ^ "Executive Order No. 237, s. 1987". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. July 22, 1987. Archived from the original on January 31, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "The Cabinet Secretary". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Archived from the original on September 29, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Duterte revives Cabinet Secretariat; removes 8 agencies under its supervision". UNTV News and Rescue. November 1, 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  5. ^ "Executive Order No. 1, s. 2022". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. June 30, 2022.
  6. ^ "Corazon C. Aquino - Presidential Museum and Library". Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2012.
  7. ^ "Fidel V. Ramos - Presidential Museum and Library". Archived from the original on March 23, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2012.
  8. ^ "Joseph Ejercito Estrada - Presidential Museum and Library". Archived from the original on May 14, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2012.
  9. ^ "Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo - Presidential Museum and Library". Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2012.
  10. ^ "Benigno S. Aquino III - Presidential Museum and Library". Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2012.
  11. ^ Ranada, P. (May 16, 2016). "Medialdea is executive secretary, Panela is spokesman". Rappler. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  12. ^ Galvez, Daphne (March 9, 2022). "Duterte names PDP-Laban faction exec as acting Cabinet secretary". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2022.