Members of Duterte Cabinet meet, exchange numbers

Incoming president Rodrigo Duterte's prospective Cabinet appointees had an informal meeting on Wednesday, incoming presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo has confirmed to GMA News Online.

Panelo said the country's next Cabinet secretaries met around noontime to get to know each other and exchange contact numbers.

“Informal hi and hello lang.... Nothing work-related,” Panelo said.

Also in attendance althought yet to be named to any Cabinet post was Nacionalista Party (NP) president and former Senate President Manny Villar.

His son, re-elected Las Piñas Representative Mark Villar, has accepted Duterte's offer for him to head the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Duterte's PDP-Laban has a formal coalition agreement with the NP.

Panelo said the officials took the chance to see each other since many of them were in Manila.

Panelo and incoming justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre are in Manila to represent Duterte at the canvassing of votes in Congress.

Photos of the “first Cabinet meeting” were shared by Roldan G. Gorgonio on his Facebook account.

According to Gorgonio, those who attended the meeting are Panelo and Aguirre as well as the following prospective appointees:

• Incoming Secretary to the Cabinet and outgoing Maribojoc Mayor Leoncio B. Evasco Jr., Duterte’s national campaign manager;
• Incoming Executive Secretary Salvador Meldialdea, Duterte’s personal lawyer;
• Incoming Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, the current executive officer of the PNP Directorate for Human Resource and Doctrine Development;
• Incoming Department of Transportation secretary Arthurt “Art” Tugade, former chief executive officer and the president at Clark Development Corp.;
• Incoming National Security Adviser ex-General Hermogenes “Jun” Esperon, the former chief of staff of Armed Forces of the Philippines;
• Incoming Department of Finance secretary Carlos “Sonny” Dominguez, the owner of Marco Polo Davao;
• Incoming Department of Agriculture secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol, the former North Cotabato governor;
• Incoming Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) chief Andrea Domingo, former Bureau of Immigration commissioner;
• Incoming National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) chief Ernesto Pernia, a professor emeritus at the University of the Philippines (UP) School of Economics;
• Incoming Department of Energy secretary Alfonso Cusi, former Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager;
• Incoming Solicitor General Jose Calida, former acting secretary of the Department of Justice;
• Incoming Department of Foreign Affairs secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr., former chairman of Securities and Exchange Commission;
• Incoming Department of Labor and Employment secretary Silvestre “Bebot” Bello III, former Justice Secretary;
• Incoming Department of Public Works and Highways secretary Mark Villar; and
• Incoming AFP chief of staff Lt. Gen. Ricardo Visaya, the Southern Luzon Command chief. —Trisha Macas/NB, GMA News