THE initial list of appointments to the Cabinet of Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. is a mix of old and new names and faces. Many of them have previously served in the bureaucracy in various capacities with good public service records; a few were tainted by personal scandals.

Two of them carry the surnames of longtime ministers in the Cabinet of his deposed father and namesake, Ferdinand Marcos Sr. Susan 'Toots' Ople is a daughter of the late senator Blas Ople, who was Marcos Sr.'s labor secretary for 18 years (1967 to 1971, 1972 to 1986). Conrado Estrella 3rd is a grandson of Conrado Estrella Sr., who was Marcos Sr.'s agrarian reform minister for 15 years.