Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda

shrugged off Sen. Francis Escuderos call

for him to resign from the Cabinet, saying
only President Aquino can ask him to do so.
In my view as a law student and it is
elementary in basic constitutional law that
is something I believe that Senator Escudero
is very well aware of. The nature of Cabinet
positions is that they are political offices and
that has been resolved even then, Lacierda
said.
He also cited a Supreme Court ruling the
56-year-old jurisprudence Santos versus
Yatco which upheld the duty of Cabinet
secretaries as alter egos of the president.