President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed former Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. as Cabinet Secretary, a post tasked with coordinating between the Office of the President and members of the administration’s Cabinet.
The appointment revives the Office of the Cabinet Secretary, which Marcos previously abolished through Executive Order No. 1 issued on June 30, 2022, at the start of his presidency.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Abalos is set to take his oath on Wednesday afternoon.
Castro said Abalos’ responsibilities as Cabinet Secretary include assisting the President by providing timely, relevant, and strategic advice on emerging national, local, and international issues affecting the political landscape.
She said the Cabinet Secretary will 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, and also serve as head of the Strategic Action and Response Office, and for this purpose exercise supervision and control over its constituent offices”.
Abalos served as Marcos’ interior secretary from 2022 to 2024.
He resigned in 2024 to run for senator under the Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas in 2025 but lost in the race.
Abalos previously served as chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority under the Duterte administration. He was also mayor of Mandaluyong from 2007 to 2026; congressman of Mandaluyong from 1998 to 2004 and from 2004 to 2007; and councilor of Mandaluyong from 1995 to 1998.
Melvin Matibag, the current director of the National Bureau of Investigation, served as acting Cabinet Secretary in 2022 before the office was abolished.
Apart from Abalos, other presidential appointees who took their oath in Malacañang on Wednesday were Philip Lo, Secretary of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas, and lawyer Nesauro Firme, a member of the Judicial and Bar Council.