PRESIDENT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has appointed retired Supreme Court Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin as his new executive secretary, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles confirmed on Tuesday, September 27, 2022.
Bersamin has taken his oath before Marcos at the Malacañang.
"He began his duties immediately by attending the 9th Cabinet meeting right after swearing in," Angeles said.
Bersamin will replace Marcos’ long-time aide, lawyer Vic Rodriguez, who resigned from the post last month. Rodriguez, however, will serve as the presidential chief of staff.
Rodriguez's resignation came after he was implicated in the sugar importation mess.
The new “little president” served as associate justice in the Court of Appeals in March 2003 before getting appointed to the Supreme Court as associate justice in 2018 and later as chief justice by then President Rodrigo Duterte.
While serving as an associate justice, Bersamin voted in favor of the ouster of former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, as well as the Mindanao martial law declaration and extension due to the Marawi siege and the continuous detention of Senator Leila de Lima over drug charges.
He was also part of the unanimous vote declaring the controversial Priority Development Assistance Fund or the pork barrel as unconstitutional.
Bersamin also became controversial when he voted in favor of the burial of the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. (SunStar Philippines)