Marcos urged to keep Foreign Affairs secretary amid Cabinet revamp

A CONGRESSMAN on Wednesday urged President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to keep his top envoy amid a shake-up in his Cabinet.

Replacing Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique A. Manalo would be a loss for the agency, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez said in a statement.

He does not deserve to be replaced after his campaign to stake the Southeast Asian nation’s claim in the contested South China Sea, he added.

“[He] has led the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) with a clear vision of our national interest and has been working hard to protect our sovereign rights under international law, especially for our West Philippine Sea,” Mr. Rodriguez said.

Mr. Marcos last week called for the resignation of his top ministers as part of a “bold reset” of his government to better serve Filipinos. It came after administration-backed senatorial candidates underwhelmingly performed in the midterm elections.

The President’s allies failed to win majority of the 12 seats, leaving Mr. Marcos a divided political and legislative landscape that could thwart his attempt to have an ally succeed him in 2028.

Mr. Manalo has been appointed as the country’s permanent representative to the United Nations (UN) in New York, a post he held before, and would be replaced by Undersecretary Maria Theresa P. Lazaro on July 31, Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin said last week.

The Philippines’ top envoy is expected to handle souring diplomatic tensions with China over disputes in the South China Sea and push a long-awaited code of conduct in the waters, as Philippine officials eye its completion next year when the country hosts the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

“If he accepts the UN assignment… he will be reporting to his new DFA boss, who is now one of his undersecretaries,” Mr. Rodriguez said. “I don’t think that is fair to Secretary Manalo.”

Mr. Manalo will replace Antonio Manuel R. Lagdameo as head of the Philippines’ diplomatic mission to the UN.

Instead of transferring Mr. Manalo, Mr. Rodriguez said another career diplomat should replace the retiring UN representative.

“The country’s representative to the UN is a plum post,” he said. “Many senior career DFA personnel would surely aspire for that.” — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio