IN PHOTOS: Turning over to the Duterte administration

MANILA, Philippines – On Thursday, June 30, it wasn’t just President Rodrigo Duterte who took his oath of office but also his appointed Cabinet secretaries whom the president will also count on to bring promised change.

Shortly after his inauguration Duterte presided over his first Cabinet meeting. Among his first orders to his Cabinet officials was to line up like ordinary people when they go on trips.

The following day, the president presided over the turnover of officials of the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Various government agencies likewise held their own turnover ceremonies in their respective departments.

Here are the highlights:

At the Bureau of Treasury building in Intramuros on Friday, July 1, outgoing Secretary Cesar Purisima, formally handed over to Carlos Dominguez the reins of the Department of Finance.

During the ceremony, Dominguez gave orders to his team: do work a “litte more creatively” to ensure that economic growth is inclusive.

“The DOF can no longer use its fancy calculations to continue its detachment from the everyday lives of Filipinos. We need to do our job a little differently, a little more creatively,” Dominguez said in his speech.

On his first day of office, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II vowed to act on his marching orders from Duterte and rid the Department of Justice (DOJ) of graft and corruption.

After attending Mass at the DOJ with justice officials and employees, Aguirre held a press conference and said that Duterte had ordered him to transform the DOJ into a graft-free agency, to be part of the fight against illegal drugs, and to prosecute heinous crimes.

In her first address as secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Gina Lopez quoted one part of President Rodrigo Duterte’s inaugural speech:

“Love of country, subordination of personal interests to the common good, concern and care for the helpless and the impoverished – these are among the lost and faded values that we seek to recover and revitalize as we commence our journey towards a better Philippines.”

Lopez went right down to work on Friday, July 1, and her first order of business was to audit all existing mines in the country. The directive, Lopez said, came from Duterte during their first Cabinet meeting on June 30.

The DENR seat was previously offered to the Left during Duterte’s first press conference after the elections. The Left was eyeing Bayan Muna party list Representative Carlos Isagani Zarate as its nominee.

10 days later, Duterte changed his plans citing serious and sensitive issues on mining operations, and on June 20, he announced Lopez’s appointment in a video release.

From 4, the Left got two departments: Department of Agrarian Reform and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

At the DSWD, officials and employees welcomed incoming Secretary Judy Taguiwalo as the new head of the Department.

Outgoing Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman officially handed over the helm of leadership to Taguiwalo through the symbolic turnover of the DSWD flag, the DSWD red vest, and the transition report.

In her message, Taguiwalo shared said that under the leadership and overall thrust of Duterte, she intends to make the DSWD an agency with “tunay na malasakit sa mahihirap (genuine compassion for the poor).”

On July 1, Duterte also appointed former Gabriela Women’s party list Representative Liza Maza as lead convenor of the National Anti-Poverty Commission.

Other Cabinet appointees also took over their positions on Friday, July 1.

The Department of Energy (DOE) announced through a press release that newly-installed Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi and former energy secretary Zenaida Monsada will hold their flag-raising and turnover ceremonies on July 4 at the DOE Multi-Purpose Building.

Some agencies also held their respective transitions during the weekend.

– Rappler.com