President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Thursday hinted at a possible Cabinet shake-up after joking that First Lady Louise “Liza” Araneta-Marcos may soon be part of his official team.
Speaking at the 2025 Bagong Bayani Awards, Marcos quipped that the First Lady, who has been frequently traveling abroad to support activities of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) has effectively appointed as the country’s “ambassador for migrant workers.”
“Our First Lady Louise Araneta Marcos, who has recently been travelling to Europe to assist OWWA with some of the activities. So, she has become our ambassador now for migrant workers,” Marcos jokingly said.
“It’s your new resignation. ’Di ba magka-Cabinet shakeup tayo? Kasama ka na roon," he then followed with another playful remark.
In recent days, Marcos appointed Ralph Recto as Executive Secretary and Frederick Go as Finance Secretary amid controversies surrounding alleged corruption in flood control projects.
The shakeup also saw the departure of former Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin and former Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman from their posts.
However, Bersamin has publicly denied resigning, contradicting an earlier statement from Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro, who said he stepped down "out of delicadeza."
Castro maintained during a press briefing yesterday that her announcement came directly from Malacañang.
“Ang pina-announce po sa atin ay galing sa Palasyo… At kung ano po ang sinabi lamang ng Palasyo, ‘yun lamang po ang ating inannounce,” she said.
Asked to clarify whether Marcos’ joke signals more changes ahead, Castro said no official announcement has been made.
“Tingnan na lang po natin. Kung nakita ninyo na parang pabiro iyong pagkakasabi ng Pangulo, so iyon muna po tayo — face value. Sa ngayon, wala pa po sa ating ina-announce o sinasabing update patungkol diyan,” she noted.
Meanwhile, during the same event, Marcos praised Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), calling them true “heroes” and reaffirming his administration’s commitment to supporting them through the Department of Migrant Workers.
