Duterte appoints his party's secretary-general as Cabinet secretary

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed as Cabinet secretary the secretary-general of the PDP-Laban wing that he backs.

Melvin Matibag, secretary-general of the PDP-Laban faction led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi and supported by Duterte, was appointed Tuesday as acting Cabinet secretary.

JUST IN: President Rodrigo Duterte appoints PDP-Laban Secretary General Melvin Matibag as acting Cabinet Secretary, replacing Karlo Nograles who is now chairman of the Civil Service Commission.

Here he takes his oath before Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.| @alexisbromero pic.twitter.com/Hfl66gg6uf

— Philstar.com (@PhilstarNews) March 9, 2022

Matibag replaces Karlo Nograles, who has been appointed chairperson of the Civil Service Commission.

In a statement through PDP-Laban, Matibag said he will “make sure the important policy issues of President Duterte are acted upon and the Duterte Legacy is properly established.”

He added, “We see the Cabinet Secretariat as playing an integral role in the democratic concept of transfer of power as President Duterte vouch for an orderly and peaceful hand over of government control to whoever is proclaimed by Congress as the new chief executive.”

Matibag is also the current president and CEO of the National Transmission Corporation.

The Palace also announced the appointment of Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers Concerns Abdullah Derupong Mama-o as secretary of the newly-created Department of Migrant Workers, a new agency that is seen to start functioning by 2023.

According to a Manila Times report, Mama-o is a seasoned lawyer who has been handling electoral cases since the 1980s. The Manila Times reported in February that Mama-o had been shortlisted for Commission on Elections chairman. —  Xave Gregorio