Vic Rodriguez no longer part of Bongbong Marcos admin, says new ES

FILE PHOTO: Lawyer Victor Rodriguez, when he was still executive secretary of the Marcos administration, as he faced members of the Blue Ribbon Committee on August 23, 2022. (Voltaire F. Domingo/Senate PRIB)

MANILA, Philippines — Lawyer Victor Rodriguez has no post in the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. after he stepped down as executive secretary last month.

This was the answer of freshly sworn-in Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin when asked if Rodriguez is holding a new position in the current government.

“Wala (None). We don’t talk about it,” he told members of the media on Tuesday.

Bersamin also said that no administrative order had been issued appointing Rodriguez as chief of staff of the President.

“You know, we have to respect the privacy of the former Executive Secretary. He’s entitled to it, and to be fair to him as well as to the President, let us not belabor that issue kasi (because) the decision has been made. I was appointed Executive Secretary. I was sworn into office, and that should put that matter to rest,” he added.

Bersamin was likewise asked if Rodriguez is still part of the Marcos administration.

To which, the former Supreme Court magistrate replied: “No, he’s no longer part of the Cabinet. You must recall he resigned for a specific reason. That reason is well-published to you. We cannot second-guess that reason. It was stated by the Secretary and let us respect his privacy.”

Bersamin also said that no administrative order had been issued appointing Rodriguez as chief of staff of the President.

“Kung mayroon talaga, ililitaw natin kung mayroon. Pero up to now, wala pang lumilitaw na ganiyan. We don’t even talk about it,” he said.

(If there is an order, we will make it known. But up to now, nothing has materialized. We don’t talk about it.)

Rodriguez was Marcos’ long-time chief-of-staff and served as his spokesman during the 2022 presidential elections.

According to Rodriguez, he stepped down as executive secretary to focus on his family.

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