Retired investment banker and opposition pundit Leo Alejandrino has wise advice for BBM.
He’s essentially saying that Marcos should grab the bull by the horns, with respect to his Presidency. It’s been more than a hundred days but Marcos still can’t seem to find his footing for a role he has been preparing for all his life.
Shouldn’t he have grown into it by now?
The young Bongbong wasn’t very visible during the height of Apo Lakay’s rule. That role was reserved for Manang Imee as head of Kabataang Barangay and the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines. She’s the natural politician of the family.
In the second Marcos Presidency, the center of power is undoubtedly the First Lady, Liza Araneta Marcos. Her being a lawyer has its advantages but her expertise is not really well-known. But definitely, she has primus inter pares privileges being the spouse.
Atty. Vic’s case was a brazen power grab gone wrong. He wanted to control all aspects of the presidency but, worse, being the lawyer that he is, he wanted his job description in writing. Wrong. If he had simply kept his head down, stayed in place and not bother with the legal niceties he could have been, unnoticed, the de facto President. Atty. Vic must have sensed BBM was allowing him the run of the Palace which says as much about the President and his judgement of character as it does about Atty. Vic. Unfortunately the latter ran into JPE, a seasoned power player who can smell a rat even before he sees one.
In this flux JPE has come to assume a major role in the Palace both in key appointments and direction – he is said to have 3 offices, one beside the President’s, one beside the ES’ and one in the PSG. JPE is proving a much needed ballast to the Presidency at a time when the country is headed for trouble. I will not bore you with the details, just believe potentially scary stuff is coming down.
Is JPE really the primary adviser now after LAM? More than likely. The resigned Press Secretary was insistent that the President signed Admnistrative Order No. 1 creating the office of the Presidential Chief of Staff. This was apparently not the case and was the cause of her unceremonial resignation for “medical reasons.”
It’s really funny how the bloggers are falling amongst themselves with their “assessments.” These morons have absolutely no clue how power is wielded. What’s worst is they don’t even qualify as influence-peddlers to begin with. Their defense of the resigned Press Secretary was actually pathetic and cringe-worthy. At least she got to go abroad on the government centavo before she was eased out.
JPE is valuable to BBM because he holds the “institutional memory” of the first Marcos Presidency. Enrile can see trouble before it comes as proven in the case of the resigned Executive Secretary. He made his memorandum to the President public thereby defeating whatever fight Vic Rodriguez was going to put up to stay in Malacanan.
BBM may have a vision for this country but has not articulated it clearly nor is he consumed by it. He has not been emboldened by 32 million votes to go all in on his presidency but has instead almost taken it as a cushion to go slow and easy. BBM has also made a few rookie mistakes. His trip to the Singapore F1 may be deserved after 3 months in office but the optics were horrible: One,the President is supposed to be promoting Philippine tourism, not Singaporean tourism. Two, watching gas guzzlers hurtling around a race track when Filipinos are strangled by soaring fuel prices is shall we say insensitive.
This is a valid assessment by Alejandrino. Duterte had it down to Tapang at Malasakit early on in the campaign. He zeroed in on peace and order and left the economy alone because that wasn’t his forte. Sonny Dominguez took the lead on the economic front after they won and stuck to the agenda he crafted until they stepped down, even if the pandemic came into the picture obtrusively and prevented what might have been a glorious exit for Duterte.
A simple announcement from the Palace could’ve stopped the speculation since it was all over media that the President was going to Singapore again. The question was, why didn’t the Office of the Press Secretary make one?
The first 100 days is the traditional honeymoon period of an Administration. The best that can be said of this Government is it has been uneventful, just some hand holding and sweet little nothings. The natives may soon be getting restless particularly with trouble at our doorstep. What the President needs right now is a major initiative that will excite the nation and distract from the everyday problems of Filipinos. That is unlikely to come from the economy where the problems are just too many to be resolved quickly. What he needs is an initiative that the people can relate to, is politically and economically powerful, that will prove his sincerity and commitment, and that can be launched immediately. That initiative is a War on Corruption.
I don’t think a war on corruption is the initiative which would capture the heart and minds of the people. I’m more inclined to Ang Bagong Lipunan Part 2.
I can still recall the impact of martial law even if I was only six years old at that time. Order was instilled at the basic level of society, down to the barangay. There was traffic discipline. The establishment of the Metro Manila Transit Corporation and the implementation of the point-to-point system made commuting safe and convenient. I recall how my mother and I would go all the way to Escolta just to take the Love Bus going to Makati since it was air-conditioned.
Ang Bagong Lipunan 2 should be a top-to-bottom overhaul of Philippines society, focusing on structural reforms in the socio-political aspect, particularly amending the Constitution and the digitization of the bureaucracy, in order to address the issue of red tape and corruption.
Marcos should also make the oligarchs toe the line by opening up the economy. This is one reason why foreign investors are wary of putting their money in the country. The playing field is not level.
Marcos should also exude toughness. He should strike a balance between compassion and knowing when to read the riot act to those who need it. Look at how Duterte did it.
As former Ambassador Bobi Tiglao noted, Marcos isn’t connecting with the masses with his penchant for fraternizing with the oligarchs. His ability to rule would be dampened by the erosion of his political capital in these very trying economic time when demand-pull and cost-push inflation is tugging at Filipinos from both ends.
BBM can talk the talk but can he walk the walk? So far the President has displayed a limited range. This is partly due to his natural conservatism – he is not a risk taker both in policy and in choice of people – but also to the heavy legacy he bears. BBM is aware the eyes of the world are on him so he is mindful to tread carefully less he be seen to repeat the sins of his father. This legacy makes him distrustful of people which limits his reach. BBM and Liza have kept to themselves all these years and have few close friends mainly social. He has relied heavily on the confidantes of his Dad like JPE and on recycled technocrats with no alternative agendas. Unfortunately many of them are getting long on the tooth and will need to be replaced sooner rather than later.
The failure of BBM to cast a wider net is also that many otherwise qualified candidates were reluctant to serve a President who until this date remains guarded on his future intentions. They are unwilling to risk their reputations to sanitize a BBM presidency until they know more but more is not forthcoming.
The “unknown” factor in BBM may be the reason why the usual pattern of exodus to the ruling party was broken after his victory. No lines formed at the door of Partido Federal. PDP-Laban and Lakas-CMD kept most of their members who ran under their wing in the May election.
Duterte is still very popular while GMA has proven she’s still the consummate power broker in politics up to this day. The two would never resort to another civil-military coup to oust Marcos if he doesn’t perform up to par but they will definitely make moves within the bounds of the Constitution, beginning with the 2025 midterm election.
Duterte has stated that he is for supporting Marcos but not beyond acting as a fiscalizer. This is needed given the opposition isn’t concerned at all about nation-building but more about destablization to put themselves back in power, which is why they’re stupid enough not to change tactics and continue to stick with Leni Robredo, even if the public has made it clear that they don’t want anything to do with her.
If Marcos wants to be a genuine statesman, he should put the country first. He should be well-aware of our history and how we have made true a Philippines run like hell by Filipinos as Quezon said.
There is nothing stopping us from having a Philippines run like heaven by Filipinos if we put our minds to it and if we have leaders who share this vision.
Marcos should grab the bull by the horns and begin the journey with this vision and goal in mind.
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