Manila. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday asked all of his Cabinet secretaries to submit their resignations in what he called a “bold reset” of his administration, following midterm election setbacks that saw opposition candidates gain key Senate seats.

Marcos, 67, the son of the late dictator overthrown in the 1986 People Power uprising, won the presidency in a landslide in 2022 on a platform of national unity. However, a political rift with Vice President Sara Duterte, his former running mate, has since deepened, fueling turmoil within the country's leadership.

With backing from treaty ally the United States and other partners, Marcos has become the region’s most vocal critic of China’s growing aggression in the disputed South China Sea. At home, he continues to grapple with inflation, crime, and unfulfilled campaign promises, most notably, lowering the price of rice.

“This is not business as usual,” Marcos said in a government statement. “The people have spoken, and they expect results, not politics, not excuses. We hear them and we will act.”

The statement said Marcos requested the “courtesy resignation of all Cabinet secretaries” as a way to “recalibrate his administration” in the wake of the election results.

The resignations are intended to give Marcos “elbow room to evaluate the performance of each department and determine who will continue to serve in line with his administration’s recalibrated priorities,” the statement said.

At least 21 Cabinet secretaries, led by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, either submitted their resignations or expressed willingness to do so.

“This is not about personalities; it’s about performance, alignment, and urgency,” Marcos said. “Those who have delivered and continue to deliver will be recognized. But we cannot afford to be complacent. The time for comfort zones is over.”

The government said services will remain uninterrupted during the transition, describing the move as the beginning of a “new phase; sharper, faster, and fully focused on the people's most pressing needs.”

In the May 12 midterm elections, allies of Sara Duterte and her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, won five of the 12 contested Senate seats. The elder Duterte, who remains a fierce critic of Marcos, is currently detained by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, where he faces charges of crimes against humanity related to his violent anti-drug campaign that left thousands dead.

Candidates endorsed by Marcos won five Senate seats, while two more seats were claimed by liberal democrats aligned with the late former President Benigno Aquino III, a longstanding political rival of the Marcos family.

Control of the Senate is critical ahead of an impeachment trial scheduled for July against Vice President Duterte, who faces criminal allegations including corruption and a public threat to assassinate President Marcos, First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez. Duterte made the threats in a livestreamed news conference in November, later issuing a vague denial.

She also faces a separate criminal complaint related to the threats.

Most House seats were won by candidates aligned with Marcos and Romualdez in an election widely seen as a preview of the 2028 presidential race.

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