Formed October 12, 1936 | Cabinet executive Salvador Medialdea | |
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Website Office of the Executive Secretary | ||
The Executive Secretary of the Philippines (formerly known as the Secretary to the President or Chief of the Executive Office) is the head and highest-ranking official of the Office of the President of the Philippines and a member of the Cabinet of the Philippines. The office-holder has been nicknamed as the "Little President" due to the nature of the position. It was given the mandate "to directly assist the President in the management of affairs of the government as well as to direct the operations of the Executive Office."
The office was established on October 12, 1936, with Jorge B. Vargas as the inaugural holder.
The current Executive Secretary is Salvador Medialdea, serving in this position since June 30, 2016, when President Rodrigo R. Duterte was inaugurated.
Powers and duties
In Book III, Chapter 9, Section 27 of Executive Order No. 292, the Administrative Code of the Philippines, the role of the Executive Secretary was defined as:
The Executive Secretary possesses much power since the holder of the office is the alter-ego of the President of the Philippines, the chief executive. The Executive Secretary can issue orders in the name of the President, can review and modify decisions of other cabinet secretaries on appeal and can perform numerous other functions as allowed or delegated by the chief executive.