MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte reorganized the Cabinet cluster system to reflect the priorities of his administration, including infrastructure and “participatory governance.”

Duterte reorganized the Cabinet cluster system through Executive Order (EO) No. 24, which he signed on Tuesday, May 16.

The EO reorganizes the following Cabinet clusters:

• Participatory Governance, chaired by the Interior Secretary
• Infrastructure, chaired by the Public Works Secretary
• Human Development and Poverty Reduction, chaired by the Social Welfare Secretary
• Security, Justice, and Peace, chaired by the Defense Secretary
• Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation and Disaster Risk Reduction, chaired by the Environment Secretary
• Economic Development, chaired by the Finance Secretary

This reorganization expands the number of Cabinet clusters to 6, from former president Benigno Aquino III’s original 5 clusters.

Aquino also reorganized the Cabinet cluster system when he became president, to reflect his priorities. Aquino’s clusters were: Good Governance and Anti-Corruption; Human Development and Poverty Reduction; Economic Development; Security, Justice, and Peace; and Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation.

Read EO 24 below:

Changes

The main changes include the dissolution of the Good Governance and Anti-Corruption Cluster but the “integration” of its frameworks into all the clusters, according to Assistant Secretary Jonas Soriano, spokesman of the Office of the Cabinet Secretary.

There are also two new clusters: Participatory Governance which aims to “enhance citizen’s participation in government processes,” and Infrastructure, which will focus on the Duterte administration’s ambitious infrastructure plan.

Duterte changed the cluster system once before, by issuing an EO that made the Defense Secretary the head of the Security cluster, instead of the Executive Secretary.

Soriano told Rappler that Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr initiated the issuance of EO 24.

Evasco’s idea, floated during a Cabinet-level meeting, was supported by Public Works Secretary Mark Villar who had concerns with coordination on infrastructure projects.

Evasco’s office will be the spine linking all the Cabinet clusters. The Cabinet Cluster System Secretariat (CCSS), also created under EO 24, is in charge of closely monitoring the directives and commitments of the clusters. The secretariats of each of the clusters will report to the CCSS.

The Performance and Projects Management Office, also under Evasco’s office, is tasked with facilitating and coordinating the implementation of the Performance and Projects Roadmaps of each cluster.

These roadmaps identify the target deliverables of each cluster. – Rappler.com