THE executive secretary (ES) is the 'little president,' but it is inherently a management position that acts like a traffic cop of documents, people and guests to and from the President. Some say it is a glorified clerk position, but if one focuses on the management aspect instead of getting muddled up in the politics and decision-making process, the office should be in tiptop shape to serve the President. After all, the President is the one elected, with a mandate of 31 million while the executive secretary is an appointed position. The problem begins when the executive secretary wants to be in the eye of every act of the President, interferes in the appointment process, puts the institution of the presidency in questionable acts, and wants to be heard and seen more than what the Office of the Executive Secretary is mandated to do.

The ES manages the Office of the President proper, and the OP attached agencies. He is not a decision maker. I would not even consider him an alter ego of the President like the Cabinet members. Is he 'primus inter pares' or first among equals? That is a blur because the Administrative Code does not say so, but it is a tradition often extended by the Cabinet. If you look at EO 292, the first Cabinet position listed is that of Foreign Affairs. But the authority of the ES is derived from the President, and he is the only one who can sign under the phrase, 'by authority of the President' and from there emanates the perceived power of his office.