As May 12 draws near — the final day of the ban on appointing candidates who lost in the 2025 elections — Malacañang appears to be in a scramble.
Is a Cabinet shake-up imminent?
In political circles, names are already being floated. Labor Secretary Benny Laguesma, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa, and Information and Communications Technology Secretary Henry Aguda have all been mentioned as possible casualties of a looming revamp.
But the bigger story may lie elsewhere.
As of late March 2026, at least nine members of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Cabinet have been serving in an acting or officer-in-charge capacity. What an unusually large number for a sitting administration.
Among them are:
Ralph Recto – Acting Executive Secretary
Rolando “Rolly” Toledo – Acting Secretary, Department of Budget and Management
Frederick Go – Acting/Ad interim Secretary, Department of Finance
Vince Dizon – Acting Secretary, Department of Public Works and Highways
Giovanni “Banoy” Lopez – Acting Secretary, Department of Transportation
Fredderick “Eric” Vida – Acting Secretary, Department of Justice
Juan Miguel Cuna – Acting Secretary, Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Dave M. Gomez – Acting Secretary, Presidential Communications Office
Verna Esmeralda C. Buensuceso – Officer in Charge, Department of Tourism
With so many key posts still in an interim state, the question is no longer just who might be replaced, but why so many remain unconfirmed in the first place.
Speculation ranges widely, from performance concerns to internal recalibration. But absent official explanations, the anticipated reshuffle raises a more fundamental question: What is driving the changes at the highest levels of government?
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