By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos
MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has appointed former Interior secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. as Cabinet secretary, Malacañang announced Wednesday.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro, in a press briefing, said Abalos would take his oath of office on Wednesday afternoon.
As Cabinet secretary, Abalos would assist the President by providing “timely, relevant, and strategic advice on emerging national, local, and international issues affecting the political landscape,” Castro said.
Castro added that Abalos would also “serve as a conduit of the President to national government agencies, local government units, political organizations, groups or parties, civil society organizations, and sectoral groups on matters of political concern,” as may be directed by the Chief Executive.
Abalos would also head the Strategic Action and Response Office and would exercise supervision and control over its constituent offices.
The Office of the Cabinet Secretary was abolished on June 30, 2022 under Executive Order 1 issued by Marcos in the same year.
EO 1 reorganized the Office of the President and placed the existing Cabinet Secretariat under the direct control of the Presidential Management Staff.
Malacañang has yet to clarify whether a new EO has been issued to reconstitute the Office of the Cabinet Secretary.
In June 2022, Abalos was appointed secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), spearheading major police reforms, anti-illegal drug initiatives, and local government capacity-building.
Abalos stepped down from the DILG post in October 2024 to run for a Senate seat under the Marcos administration’s coalition slate in the 2025 elections. He placed 16th in the senatorial race. (PNA)
