The executive secretary to Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. says Marcos will retain Defense Secretary Gilberto during a midterm overhaul of his Cabinet
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will retain Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., who is among the most vocal critics of China in Asia, as Marcos presses on with a midterm overhaul of his Cabinet, a senior official said Thursday.
Teodoro, who has strongly echoed Marcos’ criticisms of China’s increasingly assertive actions in the South China Sea, will remain in his post, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin told a news conference.
Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre III will be the next chief of the 232,000-member national police. Torre led the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte in March and his turnover to International Criminal Court detention in The Netherlands for his deadly anti-drug crackdowns, Bersamin said.
Last year, Torre oversaw the arrest of Philippine religious leader Apollo Quiboloy, a key Duterte supporter who was placed on the FBI’s most-wanted list after being indicted for sexual abuses and trafficking in the U.S. Torre would take over his retiring predecessor, Gen. Rommel Marbil.
Marcos asked all of his Cabinet secretaries last week to submit resignations in what the government said was a “bold reset” of his administration following the May 12 midterm elections, which saw more opposition candidates win crucial Senate seats.
