Duterte revamps Office of the Cabinet Secretary

President Rodrigo Duterte revamped the Office of the Cabinet Secretary (OCS) on Wednesday and transferred some agencies under its supervision to other departments.

Duterte announced the revamp as he issued Executive Order 67 signed on October 31. He also reverted the OCS to its old name — Cabinet Secretariat.

READ: Executive Order 67

Former Cabinet Secretary Leoncio “Jun” Evasco used to head the OCS, but he resigned to run as Bohol Governor in the May 2019 midterm polls.

READ: Cabinet Secretary Jun Evasco files COC for Bohol governor

Evasco, who assumed the post in 2016, used to supervise 12 agencies. But Duterte transferred the jurisdiction of the National Food Authority and the Philippine Coconut Authority to the Department of Agriculture through EO 62 he issued in September.

READ: Duterte puts NFA supervision back to DA; reorganizes NFA Council

His EO 67 further removed agencies under the OCS, tranferring the Technical Education Skills and Development Authority and the Cooperative Development Authority to the Department of Trade and Industry.

He also transferred the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, Philippine Commission on Women and the National Youth Commission to the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Meanwhile, the National Anti-Poverty Commission, National Commission on Indigenous Peoples, and the Presidential Commission on the Urban Poor were transferred to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

He said the functions of the OPG would be absorbed by the DILG.

“There is a need to further rationalize the OP (Office of the President) Proper to strengthen its oversight functions over the executive department and further streamline the relevant mandates of its own offices for improved coordination and collaboration, consistent with the right-sizing policy of espoused by the administration,” Duterte said in his order.

He added that the Cabinet Secretariat “shall serve as the head secretariat of the different Cabinet cluster secretariats. In such capacity and in aid of its functions as defined herein, it shall continue to participate in Cabinet cluster meetings, as well as in the National Economic and Development Authority Board and committee meetings.”

The Presidential Management Staff would “monitor the implementation of presidential directives, Cabinet decisions, and Cabinet cluster directives, instructions, and commitments, and provide the Executive Office with policy inputs on the management of affairs of the government.”

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo has said that Davao City Representative Karlo Nograles was among the “leading” choices to replace Evasco. /ee