President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed former Interior and Local Government secretary Benhur Abalos as Cabinet secretary, Malacañang announced on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.
Oath-taking and role
Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said Abalos is set to take his oath of office later in the day before Marcos. The Cabinet secretary heads the Cabinet Secretariat and plays a key coordinating role in the executive branch.
The office assists the President in managing the Cabinet by organizing meetings, monitoring the implementation of presidential directives and Cabinet decisions, coordinating policy discussions among government agencies, and helping ensure that priority programs are carried out efficiently across departments.
Abalos' previous roles
Abalos returned to the Marcos administration after previously serving as secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), a post he held from 2022 until 2024. During his tenure, he oversaw the Philippine National Police, the Bureau of Fire Protection, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, and worked with local government units on peace and order, disaster preparedness, and local governance initiatives.
Before joining the Cabinet, Abalos served as chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), where he led traffic management and metropolitan development programs across Metro Manila. He also has extensive experience in local governance, having served for several terms as mayor of Mandaluyong City.
Legal and political background
A lawyer by profession, Abalos also served as chairman of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) from 2008 to 2011, where he oversaw the country's electoral body before stepping down from the post. Following his stint at the DILG, Marcos earlier said Abalos has continued to help the administration in various ways on an informal basis and expressed openness to bringing him back into an official government position.
