And though Martinez won't be taking up the Ministry of Defence portfolio there are three M's currently on Cabinet leave: Mai, Mira, and Marin. We asked Martinez what he thinks about his absent cabinet colleagues.
Jomarie Lanza
"Presently, there are three ministers on a leave of absence. How does this look for the PUP?"
Osmond Martinez, Minister of State, Ministry of Economic Transformation
"You know, the optics will always be the optics in politics. Nonetheless, I don't think the optics are from what we see on the ground, and especially with the people I represent, you know, people want to see the work get done. And people have been seeing that, under the leadership of Prime Minister Briceño, the amount of work we have done is unprecedented. The community, especially those that were neglected for many years, they are finally getting to see basic needs as simple as water the water system being connected to them and electricity being carried on to them. But the optics the optics, we always have to balance the optics, and of course it will have an impact. But in my view, we just have to stay focused and continue to work."
