Palace: Rodriguez out as executive secretary

(UPDATE) MALACAÑANG on Saturday confirmed the resignation of Victor Rodriguez as executive secretary.

“We confirm reports that Atty. Vic Rodriguez has stepped down as Executive Secretary,” Press Secretary Rose Beatrix “Trixie” Cruz-Angeles said in a statement.

She made no mention of former Supreme Court chief justice Lucas Bersamin reportedly replacing Rodriguez or President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. already having another candidate in mind for the position.

Her office said in a statement that candidates for the role were now “under the process of vetting by the Office of the President.”

The confirmation came after Rodriguez issued a statement saying he had “asked permission to step down,” adding that he will continue serving the country as the “Presidential Chief of Staff.”

In an earlier statement, he indicated his need to spend more time with his family as the reason for his stepping down.

“The work of an Executive Secretary is a 24/7 job with myriad topics expected to be attended to every day. It demands a sense of urgency which essentially requires almost all of a public servant's time to ensure that services are met and delivered,” Rodriguez said.

“Equally valuable, however, is to witness firsthand your young family grow and evolve into how every parent would wish them to become and they most need me too,” he added.

Cruz-Angeles' and Rodriguez's statements on Saturday came after Juan Ponce Enrile, Marcos Jr.'s chief legal counsel, rejected the revival of the Office of the Presidential Chief of Staff, which Rodriguez had proposed in a draft administrative order.

WITH PNA