MANILA, Philippines — Justice Undersecretary Jose “Jojo” Cadiz Jr. has tendered his resignation, Palace press officer Undersecretary Claire Castro told a press conference on Friday, December 5.

Cadiz is a longtime aide of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. with ties to a two-year-old construction company that bagged hundreds of millions of pesos worth of projects in Ilocos Norte, Cadiz’s and the Marcoses’ home province.

“Sa ating pagkakaalam, siya po ay nagsubmit na ng kanyang resignation (As far as I know, he has submitted his resignation),” Castro said, when asked if Cadiz continues to enjoy the President’s trust and if he will remain with the Department of Justice (DOJ).

As of posting time, Castro could not provide the details of Cadiz’s resignation, or if it had been accepted by Acting Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida.

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Cadiz was appointed to the post in 2022, just over a month after Marcos assumed the presidency. Cadiz hails from Ilocos Norte, the bailiwick of the Marcoses, and has extensive ties to not just the President, but the Marcos clan, based on Rappler’s research.

He was part of the President’s legislative team when he served in the Senate. Cadiz had also been tapped by the President’s sister, Senator Imee Marcos, to handle Ilocos Norte’s legal affairs, when the latter was governor.

A Rappler investigation found that a construction company incorporated in 2023 by his then-19-year-old-son bagged at least P250 million in projects in Ilocos Norte.

The 1987 Constitution explicitly prohibits officials of the executive, to include undersecretaries, from being “directly or indirectly…financially interested” in a government contract.

Asked if Marcos had known or had been since made aware of Cadiz’s ties to a major construction firm, Castro said, “We have not talked about that but if there’s a need for investigation on that issue let the investigation be done.”

Former House appropriations chairperson Zaldy Co had earlier accused Cadiz of acting as a bagman for Marcos. – Rappler.com