Perspective
Nope. This is not about the sartorial tastes of Presidents. It is more about their style of governance. It can also be the management style of a CEO. As we wait for Marcos’ inauguration, there are hints of his Presidential style which have become evident.
He definitely comes nowhere near what we have been used to with Duterte. PRRD was a disruptor in every possible way. He did away with the pomp, circumstance and the protocol, when he could get away with it. It was really eerily similar to a promdi coming to the big city. But this is exactly why he continues to be very popular. He is still the Tatay Filipinos identify with. He is also the friendlyl neighborhood tough guy with a big heart. He is also the self-deprecating President who gave the public the impression that he is just the average Juan while hiding a superior intellect.
The Marcos Presidency will be a return to the usual pomp, circumstance and protocol though defnitely not on the same scale as before. The Iron Butterfly is past her Marie Antoniette phase. In a TikTok short, she was overheard saying “dati First Lady ako. Ngayon nanay na lang ako.” Imelda knows where her place will be under a BBM Presidency. A return to Malacanan is what she hoped for and it is now a reality. It is safe to say that her life is complete. It is more than she bargained for. Hopefully she gets down to writing her memoirs because there would be a lot of interest in it.
Marcos and his wife are to the manor born. The provenance of the Marcos’ began with Ferdinand. The Araneta’s are old rich since the time of the Spaniards. We will definitely be in for a show. Definitely not on a grandiose scale but who knows? One can never really say with the old rich de buena familias.
MLQ3 makes the observation that Marcos is not the type who would go through the usual channels to solve a problem facing his administration. He makes a comparison to the British royal family who refer to themselves as The Firm. Well, Imelda was mentioned in the Netflix series in that story arc focusing on Margaret and her jet-setting entourage. Imeldific was the ambassador-at-large or special envoy of Apo Lakay then. What better way to get back into the good graces of OPEC if not through Adnan Khashoggi, arms dealer to the Saudi royal family?
There are other subtle signs of Marcos way of doing things. Since the landslide victory on May 9, the jockeying for the Speaker of the House and Senate President was not resolved in the usual manner where both chambers discussed on their own and then battle lines drawn to figure out who would garner the votes needed to win the post.
That did not happen.
It was generally assumed the Speakership was in the bag for GMA because of her role in forging the Marcos-Duterte ticket. Nope. GMA had not laid claim to the post yet when it was announced that Martin Romualdez was going to be the next Speaker of the House.
This was repeated again in the Senate. Special Ate to the President Imee said it would not look good if her brother showed his hand between Zubiri and Villar but lo and behold. After a meeting at the Marcos campaign headquarters, the Senate Presidency was in the bag for Zubiri. Cynthia Villar quit quietly just like GMA did.
But what took the cake as the best indicator that the time of Duterte was up was the non-confirmation of his appointments to the Civil Service Commission and the Comelec. It was not like these were midnight appointments but the vacancies occurred due to the retirement of the officials. Duterte did not issue an ad interim appointment by naming Karlo Nograles as officer in-charge at the CSC. This was also impossible at the Comelec because of prohibition of ad interim appointments. Bottomline, no quorum, no confirmation. Sen. Migz Zubiri confirmed that the confirmation was deferred to give way the the prerogative of the President-elect.
Recall how Duterte was effusive in his thanks to former President Fidel Ramos whom he disclosed was instrumental in convincing him to run for President. Later on, he revealed that GMA also backed him. The Davao Originals of Dominguez, Medialdea, Go, Lavinia and Evasco formed the core of Duterte’s inner circle. Up to the very end, Duterte was deferential to GMA since she had become a mentor to Daughterte.
It would be wrong for Marcos to think that GMA is not a force to be reckoned with even with his mandate. That vote count would not have been possible without Inday on the ticket which GMA was instrumental in forging. If the two had not run as a tandem and instead ran against each other, it would have been a close race. But it is interesting to note Sara garnered more votes than BBM.
The issue with Cynthia may have something to do with the lack of support for Marcos’ candidacy from the beginning. BBM ran under the Nacionalista banner in 2010 and 2016. For 2022, he had to switch to Partido Federal. What happened with the NP remains a mystery but it only endorsed Marcos after PDP-Laban finally did.
Marcos is in the hot seat now. He does not exude the same kind of confidence that Duterte did during the same period before June 30. Marcos needs a high-impact program to implement and be felt by the people. The fact that Marcos comes after Duterte whose team has made such an impact is both a boon and a bane for him. Expecations are high unlike Duterte where the bar was low because of Noynoy’s failed Presidency. Duterte hit the ground running with the drug war but so did the opposition with their constant destabilization efforts.
Marcos’ oath-taking will be grand with the venue being the Old Senate Building along Padre Burgos St. It will be interesting to see what festivities are scheduled at Malacanan on June 30. There is also the question of living arrangements. Will Marcos and family hold office and reside at Malacanan or will they be shuttling back and forth between Forbes Park and Malacanan. Their neighbors at Forbes will not be happy with Marcos’ PSG detail and motorcade if they do decide to stay at their present residence.
He still faces the disqualification of his Certificate of Candidacy petition at the Supreme Court to which his lawyer, Estelito Mendoza, has responded to within the set deadline. No news about the comment of the Senate and the House of Representatives which adjourned sine die yesterday.
The opposition is twisted enough to think that Marcos’ actions would cause the power blocs in the coalition to move against him. The Supreme Court is filled with Duterte appointees, save for Marvic Leonen. On the off chance that this becomes a reality, the high court rules against the Comelec and Marcos and grants the petition but since it is after the votes have been counted by the Senate and the House of Representatives and both President and Vice-President have been proclaimed, it becomes a question of succession.
Sara Duterte becomes President and a Vice-President is picked from the Senate as what happened in 2001 between Erap and GMA. Interestingly in 1998, GMA obtained more votes than Erap, which is similar with BBM and Sara in this election cycle.
A lot can still happen between now and June 30.
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