MANILA. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has expressed his desire for former Interior and Local Government secretary Benhur Abalos to assume a more active role in his administration, acknowledging the former Cabinet official's ongoing contributions even after leaving government service.
In an interview with reporters on the sidelines of the Asean-Russia Commemorative Summit in Kazan, Marcos said Abalos has continued to assist the administration informally in various ways and indicated openness to bringing him back into an official government position.
“I’ll be very candid, I’ll be very frank with you. Of course, I want Benhur to play a more active role in government,” the President stated. “Of course, he has been there and he had been helping us in many ways, informally, privately. I wouldn’t mind finding a way for him to help us in an official capacity,” he added.
Marcos clarified, however, that any potential appointment for Abalos would not necessarily require changes within the current Cabinet lineup. He dismissed suggestions that bringing Abalos back into government would mean replacing an incumbent official, stressing that the administration does not view appointments as a trade-off between individuals. He noted that he has a “really good group of people in the Cabinet right now.”
“Just because we want him to join, to play a more active part in government, doesn’t necessarily mean that someone else has to be… It’s not a zero-sum thing in the Cabinet that you have to remove somebody to gain somebody else,” Marcos said. “We’re working well together,” the President added.
Abalos previously served as secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government and was among Marcos’ key allies during the 2022 presidential campaign. He stepped down from his post in 2024 to run for senator during the 2025 mid-term polls. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)
