President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has ordered a significant shake-up of Malacañang’s economic and investment oversight, abolishing the Office of the Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs (OSAPIEA) and folding its functions into the Office of the Executive Secretary (OES).
The move, formalized through Executive Order No. 108 signed on Jan. 26, 2026, by Acting Executive Secretary Ralph G. Recto, is aimed at streamlining economic policymaking and tightening oversight of government investment programs.
Malacañang framed the reorganization as part of a broader push to improve coordination and monitoring amid increasingly complex economic challenges.
EO 108 dissolves OSAPIEA and transfers its remaining powers and functions—except those already reassigned elsewhere—to the OES. The order underscores the need for a “robust monitoring system” and a more “holistic and cohesive approach” to economic governance, effectively consolidating influence closer to the Office of the President.
OSAPIEA was created in 2023 under EO 49 to coordinate investment promotion and economic policy. Its head, the Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs (SAPIEA), played a prominent role, chairing the Economic Development Committee (EDCom) and sitting on key Economic Development Council (EDC) committees.
Under the new structure, leadership of EDCom shifts to the Secretary of Finance, with the Secretary of the Department of Economy, Planning and Development named vice chair—signaling a recalibration toward cabinet-led economic management.
EO 108 also reassigns the chairmanship of the Semiconductor and Electronics Industry Advisory (SEIA) Council to the Executive Secretary, further consolidating strategic industry oversight within Malacañang.
The reorganization reflects Marcos’ preference for centralized coordination as his administration sharpens its focus on execution, accountability, and investment-driven growth. In practical terms, fewer offices now mean fewer silos—and a tighter grip on the country’s economic steering wheel.
