Palace: No power vacuum as 8 Cabinet members eye 2019 electoral posts

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque. INQUIRER file photo / JOAN BONDOC

Malacañang  is confident that no power vacuum will happen in the executive branch even as eight Cabinet members were expected to resign from their posts to run in the 2019 elections.

INQUIRER.net has reported that Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go, outgoing Communications Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, Cabinet Secretary Leoncio “Jun” Evasco, Presidential Political Adviser Francis Tolentino, Bureau of Corrections Chief Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Tesda Chief Guiling Mamondiong and Special Envoy to Kuwait Abdullah Mama-o would possibly run for next year’s election.

READ: Cabinet officials eyeing posts in 2019 named

“Wala pong epekto because there’s always a rule. When there’s no secretary, there’s always an OIC appointed, so there will never be a vacuum in any Cabinet position,” Roque said in a Palace briefing.

“Ang sinasabi ko lang, hindi naman po problema ‘yan. For every vacancy, there’s a hundred applicants. So wala pong problema ang mga kapalit,” he added.

The Palace official said President Rodrigo Duterte would not have a shortage of officials to appoint.

“The President will not run out of appointees. For every Cabinet officials that leaves, there’s probably a hundred people interested in one post,” he said. “

“So there will not be a shortage of individuals to fill in the slots, or the vacancies to be vacated by Cabinet members seeking public office,” he said. /jpv

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