Abalos is next DILG chief, Sara as DepEd secretary

PRESIDENT-ELECT Bongbong Marcos Jr. has named his campaign manager Benhur Abalos as his secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

This was confirmed by Marcos’ spokesman Victor Rodriguez, who said that Abalos, a former mayor of Mandaluyong City and chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, accepted the offer. 

"I would also like to announce that Chairman Benhur Abalos has been nominated to lead the Department of the Interior, and he has accepted the challenge to lead the Department of the Interior and Local Government,” Rodriguez said. 

Aside from Abalos, Marcos also Vice President-elect Sara Duterte-Carpio as his secretary of the Department of Education. 

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año has welcomed Abalos’ appointment, saying the “DILG organization, including all our attached agencies, welcomes the announcement that former Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairperson Benjamin Abalos, Jr. will be nominated and appointed as the next DILG Secretary. We have worked closely with Chairperson Abalos during the height of the pandemic and we have seen how he ably steered the Covid-19 pandemic response in the National Capital Region which has resulted to the downward trend of coronavirus cases and the successful roll-out of the vaccination program in Metro Manila.” 

“We are confident that as a former City Mayor of Mandaluyong and MMDA Chairperson, Abalos will be able to provide good direction and leadership to both the interior and local government sectors in scaling up their performance in peace and order, public safety and local governance for the benefit of the Filipino people. We are hopeful that Chair Abalos will continue and build on the ongoing campaign against criminality, illegal drugs, corruption and communist terrorism that we have focused on and which has reached unprecedented heights of accomplishment in the past six years,” Año added. 

He said they will work closely with Abalos and his transition team for the smooth turnover of responsibilities, especially with the implementation of full devolution to local governments which started this year. (Zamboanga Post)