President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has dismissed speculation of an imminent Cabinet reshuffle, saying there is no need for changes in his executive team at this time.
Speaking during a Kapihan with the Media interview in Kazan, Russia, Marcos said his current Cabinet is functioning effectively and working well together.
“I think we have a really good group of people in the Cabinet right now, and we are working well together, and I don’t see the need,” he said.
The President also said he is open to bringing former Interior Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. back into government service in an official capacity, but clarified that this would not require removing current officials.
“I wouldn’t mind finding a way for him (Abalos) to help us in an official capacity. But just because we want him to join, to become, to play a more active part in government doesn’t necessarily mean that somebody else has to be (removed),” he said.
Abalos previously served as Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (Department of the Interior and Local Government) under the Marcos administration until he resigned in October 2024 to run for the 2025 Senate elections, which he ultimately lost. He was succeeded by Jonvic Remulla at the DILG.
Marcos added that he is considering options for appointing some candidates who lost in the 2025 elections to government posts, but stressed that this would not be part of a “zero-sum” approach to Cabinet composition.