Malacañang maintained on Thursday, September 3, that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is operating fully within his legal authority by retaining several government officials in acting roles.
Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro affirmed that the Chief Executive is committed to strictly following legal frameworks across the executive branch.
”Unang-una po, prerogative po ng Pangulo iyan at tumutupad po ang Pangulo sa batas. Kung nais nga po niya na lahat ay tumupad sa batas, due process, proseso, so, ang Pangulo po ay hindi lalabag sa batas,” Castro said in a Palace briefing on Thursday, September 3.
Castro emphasized that designating officials in an acting capacity remains completely lawful under current statutes, pointing to the appointment of Acting Communications Secretary Dave Gomez as an example.
”So, sa ngayon po ay naaayon pa rin po ang pag-a-appoint sa mga acting secretary katulad po ni Secretary Dave Gomez, siya po ay ad interim appointee po as of July 10. So, wala pong nilalabag na anumang proseso, batas ang ating Pangulo,” Castro said.
The Executive Branch issued the statement after Senator Imee Marcos, the President’s sister, publicly questioned on social media why roughly twelve key figures continue to serve in temporary roles.
In her post, the lawmaker argued that permanent appointments should be issued so the appointees can undergo formal scrutiny by the Commission on Appointments.