The Commission on Appointments has confirmed the appointment of Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo.

Lawyer Vic Rodriguez has resigned as executive secretary less than three months into the Marcos administration.

In an announcement, he references wanting to spend more time with his family.

Rodriguez, whose name was dragged into the controversy over an unauthorized sugar importation order, says he will stay on as chief of staff.

Full story here.

Scientist and disaster resilience expert Ma. Antonia 'Toni' Yulo-Loyzaga is set to lead the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Yulo-Loyzaga is the president of the National Resilience Council, which commits to building a resilient Philippines using science and technology-based public-private partnerships and a former executive director of research institute Manila Observatory. 

Yulo-Loyzaga will inherit the task of protecting and conserving the country’s rich ecosystem and natural resources threatened by illegal activities and development projects.

Restoring and protecting nature is one of the best strategies to tackle climate change.

As an archipelagic nation, the Philippines is one the most vulnerable countries to climate change impacts such as strong cyclones, flooding and sea level rise, which disproportionately affect the poor. — Gaea Katreena Cabico

President Marcos Jr. picked Raphael Perpetuo Lotilla to return to the DOE and serve as its head, but the Palace said they will have to check if he is qualified.

Lotilla is an independent director of Aboitiz Power Corp. and of oil and gas exploration and production firm ACE Enexor. 

Lotilla is also a law professor at the University of the Philippines, where he received his Bachelor of Laws degree. He also has a Masters of Laws degree from the University of Michigan Law School.

Lotilla will have to address the high prices of petroleum products caused by developments in the global market, and ensure energy security- or the uninterrupted availability of energy sources at an affordable cost. — Angelica Y. Yang with Kaycee Valmonte

In this profile last year, Veloso was portrayed as an aggressive treasury trader from the 1990s and 2000s.

He rose to several top positions in the local banking industry as result of his adept skills in building networks. By 2010, Veloso was a prominent figure in HSBC, helming interest trading, Asian local currency trading, and credit derivatives before later becoming the first Filipino CEO and president of the bank's Philippine operations from 2012 to 2018.

In November 2018, he rose to the plum posting of president and CEO of Lucio Tan-led Philippine National Bank, a position he occupies at the present. Veloso is also the current head of industry group Bankers Association of the Philippines. — Ramon Royandoyan

STORY HERE.

Outgoing Solicitor General Jose Calida, also a known Marcos supporter, has been picked to lead the Commission on Audit.

As the COA chairperson, Calida will lead the independent constitutional office in charge of checking and auditing the use of funds and properties owned by the Philippine government under its agencies.

In 2018, state auditors called the attention of the OSG when it granted a P10.774-million excess honoraria and allowances to 15 officials, including Calida. The COA also noted that the allowances were not disclosed by the OSG lawyers named in the report.

Calida will be taking the post of ad interim COA chairman Justol, whose appointment was bypassed by the CA due to the lack of quorum after their appointment hearing was rescheduled twice. Justol was appointed by outgoing president Rodrigo Duterte earlier this June. — Kaycee Valmonte

STORY HERE.

Businessman and former Philippine Airlines chief Jaime Bautista is president-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s pick to head the Department of Transportation.

Bautista also gets former Light Rail Transit Authority Deputy Administrator Cesar Chavez as his Undersecretary-designate for Rails of the DOTr, a position currently held by Transportation Undersecretary TJ Batan.

Bautista, president and chief operating officer of the flag carrier from 2004 to 2019, is inheriting a transport situation that both commuters and transport workers alike say is in crisis, with wanting transport capacity on the roads only exacerbated by skyrocketing fuel prices.  — Franco Luna

STORY HERE.

Faustino would temporarily be the senior undersecretary of the DND as the incoming administration awaits the lifting of the one-year ban on the appointment of retired military officers.

Faustino retired on November 12 last year. — Xave Gregorio

STORY HERE.

Enrile, once a key figure in the downfall of the Marcoses during the popular military-backed uprising in 1986 called People Power, has turned into a staunch supporter of the family and vowed to “devote [his] time and knowledge for the republic and for the [incoming president,]” according to incoming press secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles.

Enrile is facing plunder charges and is currently out on bail due to humanitarian reasons. — Xave Gregorio

STORY HERE.

Guevarra is the first Cabinet official of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte to get another plum post in government.

As the chief lawyer of the government, one of the solicitor general's tasks is to serve as legal counsel for the Presidential Commission on Good Government that runs after the ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses, among other things. — Xave Gregorio

STORY HERE.