The office was established on October 12, 1936, with Jorge B. Vargas as the inaugural holder.

[1] The incumbent Executive Secretary is retired Chief Justice and GSIS Chairman Lucas Bersamin, who was appointed to the post on September 27, 2022, days after the resignation of his predecessor Vic Rodriguez.

292, the Administrative Code of the Philippines,[3] the role of the Executive Secretary was defined as: Sec.

- The Executive Secretary shall, subject to the control and supervision of the President, carry out the functions assigned by law to the Executive Office and shall perform such other duties as may be delegated to him.

The Executive Secretary can issue orders in the name of the President, can review and modify decisions of other cabinet secretaries on appeal and can perform numerous other functions as allowed or delegated by the Chief Executive.