Corazon Aquino has made the most extensive Cabinet reshuffle of her presidency less than a month after a failed coup, changing such posts as finance, justice and military affairs.
Her spokesman, Adolfo Azcuna, claimed the changes announced Sunday had not been prompted by the coup attempt - the most serious of her nearly four-year tenure - but "by the same reasons, perhaps, that precipitated the coup."Public criticism had been directed at the departments of transport, education, agriculture and agrarian reform, whose secretaries were among those replaced in the shakeup.
It was the most sweeping revamp since Aquino took office in the February 1986 uprising that toppled the late President Ferdinand Marcos.
In her announcement, Aquino said Jose Cuisia, administrator of the Social Security System, would take over as Central Bank governor.
Retired Maj. Gen. Mariano Adalem was named presidential adviser on military affairs, replacing retired Maj. Gen. Jose Magno. Adalem was also appointed acting chief of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency.
Aquino retained Fidel Ramos as defense secretary despite demands by mutineers that he be replaced.
Also retained was Foreign Secretary Raul Manglapus.
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Other changes
- Jesus Estanislao, former economic planning secretary, appointed secretary of finance, replacing Vicente Jayme, who was appointed presidential adviser on economic and financial affairs.
- Labor Secretary Franklin Drilon as secretary of justice, replacing Sedfrey Ordonez, who was named ambassador to the United Nations.
- Senen Bacani, a former agribusiness executive, appointed secretary of agriculture, replacing Carlos Domingez, who resigned.
- Isidro Carino, a university president, appointed secretary of education, replacing Lourdes Quisumbing, who resigned.