Duterte Cabinet nearly complete by Tuesday

DAVAO CITY, Philippines—President-elect Rodrigo Duterte said on Sunday that some of the remaining vacancies in his Cabinet would be filled by Tuesday, a day after his proclamation in Congress.

Duterte said that he will announce the names of his nominees for the departments of Defense and the Interior and Local Government, Bureau of Customs, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, Bureau of Internal Revenue and Land Transportation Office.

“Come back Tuesday. I’m ready for them,” Duterte told reporters when asked when he would reveal the names of his prospects for the remaining vacant Cabinet posts.

Duterte recently asked former national treasurer Leonor Briones to head the Department of Education  and former budget chief Benjamin Diokno to lead  the Department of Budget and Management.

Both Briones and Diokno served as Cabinet secretaries during the Estrada administration.

“I offered her the secretary for education because she’s very quite familiar with the problem we are facing—the implementation of the K to 12, a lot of students that will be marginalized and would not be able to enroll, and a good number of teachers also who have lost their positions,” he said.

“I took in Benjamin Diokno, the budget secretary of so many presidents, for the budget portfolio,” he added.

Asked by the Inquirer to confirm Duterte’s offer, Diokno declined to give a comment. AC

READ: Diokno: No comment on Duterte offer for him to head DBM

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