MANILA (AFP): Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos has replaced his foreign minister but kept his economic team, a senior official said Friday.
The announcement came a day after Marcos called on all of his cabinet secretaries to resign in a "bold reset" of his administration.
Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo will be replaced by Undersecretary Theresa Lazaro effective July 31, according to a palace briefing.
Manalo will instead be appointed as the Philippines' permanent representative to the United Nations.
Analysts told AFP on Thursday that the cabinet revamp was aimed at reviving popularity after Marcos' party saw disappointing mid-term election results.
"I'm not calling it a 'purge', it is a cleansing... More action will be coming," Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said at the briefing.
The outgoing foreign minister will still accompany Marcos to the Asean Leaders' Summit in Malaysia next week.
The cabinet shuffle will also see the environment secretary replaced by the energy secretary, but other posts are still undergoing "more careful evaluations", Bersamin said.
Marcos meanwhile plans to keep his secretaries of finance, trade, budget and economic planning.
"The president decided to retain these five members of the economic team so that there will be no more problems of perception about where the country is going," Bersamin added. - AFP
