Presidential appointees' performance review not meant to purge —PCO

The latest memorandum issued by the Presidential Management Staff (PMS), which calls for the performance review of presidential appointees, was not meant to purge critics, including those appointed by former President Rodrigo Duterte, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said on Tuesday.

''No such thing as this applies to ALL presidential appointees, myself included,'' PCO Secretary Cheloy Garafil told GMA News Online when asked for comment on speculations that the memorandum was raised to purge appointees of Duterte amid the rift between President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. and his predecessor.

A memorandum, dated February 2, 2024, directed all presidential appointees, including those appointed by Marcos, to submit their updated personal data sheet and clearances from the Civil Service Commission, National Bureau of Investigation, Office of the Ombudsman, and Sandiganbayan.

Garafil said the updated personal data sheet and clearances are usual documents required of all presidential appointees.

She earlier said that the memorandum was part of the performance review to ensure that continuing qualifications would remain in office.

The memorandum also stated that all requirements must be submitted to the PMS within 30 days from its issuance.

The apparent rift between Duterte and Marcos began when the former accused the chief executive of being a drug addict as he even challenged him to undergo a drug test. He also warned that Marcos might end up with a similar fate as that of his father, the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

Marcos said the tirades of the former president against him could be due to the effects of fentanyl, a pain relief medication that Duterte had admitted to using.

Duterte's daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, sits as the Education chief and she was Marcos' running mate in Eleksyon 2022.

Marcos had said UniTeam, the coalition that brought him and the younger Duterte in power, still exists despite the apparent disagreements among officials behind the alliance. —KG, GMA Integrated News