MANILA, Philippines – Presumptive president Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has chosen his longtime spokesperson Vic Rodriguez to be his executive secretary.

Marcos’ office announced Rodriguez’s nomination in a media statement on Sunday, May 22. Rodriguez said he is accepting the nomination. 

“Who can say no to president-elect Bongbong Marcos? It is an honor working with him, whom I have known for a very long time and I believe will serve the country efficiently and with unquestioned devotion. It is very flattering to work alongside the best person I’ve known,” said Rodriguez. 

His nomination as executive secretary will still have to be confirmed by the Commission on Appointments, composed by contingents from the Senate and the House of Representatives under the next 19th Congress. 

Marcos naming Rodriguez as his top choice for executive secretary is not surprising, as the 48-year-old lawyer has been fiercely loyal to the president-elect. He has staunchly defended the late dictator’s son from controversies hounding Marcos and his family due to the abuses and atrocities committed during the 21-year-rule of patriarch Ferdinand Marcos.

Rodriguez also continues to evade questions on the issue of the Marcos family’s unpaid estate tax, originally pegged at P23 billion but has potentially ballooned to P203 billion.

A graduate of the University of Santo Tomas, Rodriguez is the managing lawyer of Rodriguez & Partners Law Firm and is the president of the Quezon City Trial Lawyers League. 

He is currently leading the transition team for the incoming Marcos government. Other members of the transition team are former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr., former Davao del Norte Representative Anton Lagdameo, South Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. who is also the president of Partido Federal, and former Manila representative Naida Angping.

Rodriguez is the third person Marcos has named for his incoming Cabinet, the other two being vice-president elect and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte as education secretary and Abalos as interior and local government chief. 

“I thanked President-elect Bongbong Marcos for the trust and confidence. Rest assured that our team will work doubly hard for the success of his six-year presidency,” said Rodriguez. – Rappler.com