As a martial law baby or baby boomer, I’ve seen Presidents come and go since 1986. I was a Yellowidiot from 1983 to 1986 and was present in every major anti-Marcos rally.
But by 1987, I was anti-Cory and pro-Enrile and Honasan. I wanted Cory ousted for obvious reasons. I campaigned for Danding Cojuangco in 1992. I was a volunteer. This was my first experience in the real world of Philippine politics.
Danding lost not because he wasn’t a good candidate but the Yellowidiots and their American allies wouldn’t have him as President. Since that time, I was basically apolitical. I didn’t really pay much attention to politics as I was busy with my job with an American trading company.
This changed a bit when Erap won. That was a foregone conclusion the minute he won as Vice-President. But I had an inkling that Erap wouldn’t be able to finish his term. He wasn’t cautious with the people around him. Whether he admits it or not, the Presidency got to his head. That was one major reason which caused his downfall. The rest could be blamed again on the Yellowidiots, particularly his predecessor, Tabako, who didn’t like the idea of being under investigation for the corruption scandals during his administration.
I didn’t care much for GMA because of the manner she exhibited her ambition for the Presidency. For someone who was educated as she was, there was no respect for the rule of law. This was to be repeated all throughout her term, particularly her turnaround when she decided to run for President again instead of just serving the unexpired term of Erap, as she had agreed upon with Cory. This was the cause of the plots against her by her former allies, the Yellowidiots.
When Noynoy won the Presidency, the more I became disinterested. I was in an FX bound for Marikina when news broke out on the radio about the Luneta hostage crisis. I knew then that it was going to be Cory part two under Noynoy.
The second Aquino administration was like a pregnant woman undergoing labor. You couldn’t wait long enough for it to end. The six years of Noynoy felt like ten years. It was a relief when it was finally over.
It’s only now that I’ve felt weird after Duterte stepped down. I feel as if there’s a void that needs to be filled. Not personally but in terms of what the country needs. The first half of Duterte’s term he was always on the go, mostly around the country and also abroad, being the country’s number one salesman, never mind that the opposition and his other foreign detractors were conducting an organized black propaganda campaign against him.
Under Duterte, you felt that the country was moving in the right direction; that something was happening and action was being taken according to the plan he presented during the campaign. It was particularly exciting seeing drug lords meeting untimely deaths. This was especially true with the Parojinog’s of Ozamis.
Much as I hate to admit it, I was emotional when Duterte was waiting for Marcos’ arrival at Malacanan. That was when reality hit that his term was really over. I had goosebumps seeing Marcos taking his oath of office. I was still residing in San Miguel, Manila when they were forced out of Malacanan. I was there for the 1987 and 1989 coup attempts against Cory.
It’s been one-and-a-half months now since Duterte stepped down. Despite Marcos’ successful first SONA, I have this feeling that things under him are moving at a slower pace. Marcos has conducted three Cabinet meetings thus far but the air in his administration is different. I can’t put quite a finger to describe what that exactly is.
Maybe it’s because Duterte was hands-on in both the micro and macro aspects of governance. At the onset he resolved how government makes it harder for the public, particularly OFWs, to transact with government offices. Then there were the stupid requirements, such as the renewal of driver’s license, passports and the issuance of clearances which was actually inane.
Then there was his mindset of doing away with the formalities of the Presidency. The President who ran the country like a Mayor was roundly criticized by those who were enamored of the pomp and the pageantry. Duterte would have none of that. This was what precisely won him the support of the people which was why he ended his term with the highest approval and trust ratings of any President, post-Marcos.
It would be unfair to make a comparison between Marcos and Duterte at this stage, that is obvious. It’s not like both come from the same social class and environment. BBM has his own charm, albeit not exactly the kind that Duterte exudes. But in the 2022 race, he was actually the best choice. It would’ve been worse if any of the other candidates won.
This early, the chinks in Marcos’ armor is beginning to show. While he has assembled what is inarguably the best and the brightest for his Cabinet, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they will be effective at their tasks because as alter egos of the President, they should have the communications skillset to satisfy their stakeholders.
What Marcos can’t afford is to have an Executive Secretary he cannot trust to run government on day-to-day basis. Power at the Palace was consolidated early on with an Executive Order. However, cracks are beginning to show this early and it is the job of the ES to prevent cracks and from things falling into them.
The issue of the Sugar Order released by the SRA without the approval of the President is alarming because he is also the incumbent Agriculture Secretary. The memorandum issued by the Executive Secretary bears his imprint as to the duties and responsibilities of the Undersecretary for Operations and Chief of Staff at the department.
I don’t think Sebastian would’ve issued the Sugar Order and signed it for and in behalf of the President without firt obtaining the approval of his immediate supervisor, which in this case is the Executive Secretary.
The issue was an accident waiting to happen as it was breaking news the other day that the President authorized the importation of 300,000 mt of sugar only for this to be belied that no approval had been given but the copy of the Sugar Order was already posted on the SRA website.
The signature line for the space provided for the President showed someone signed for him and this later turned out to be Leocadio Sebastian. There is also the question of why would a lowly CESO I be given such duties and responsibilities when it should at least have been a CESO IV at that level of being the alter ego of the President at the department.
Then there’s the communications breakdown. The Press Secretary mentioned that the Undersecretary in question was under investigation but she wouldn’t mention by who or which agency. Yesterday evening, broadsheets had to “stop the presses” so to speak, when she went on Facebook live to make the announcement that Sebastian tendered his resignation to the President. Talk about lack of adherence to protocol given this is not an ordinary line department but the Office of the President.
BBM is under a microscope. No less than Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile has pointed this out. He should be aware that mistakes cannot be made. There is simply not enough leeway with the opposition and their foreign cohorts waiting to pounce given the opportunity. You don’t give the enemy ammunition to use against you plain and simple.
It was MLQ3 who postulated that the end of the Marcos era began with the Cory administration and he finally admitted that she failed miserably at it. It didn’t help again that Noynoy became President only to fail more miserably again.
The same is true with BBM. There is no room for mistakes or failure at the second chance given him and his family for redemption. Picking the best and the brightest is not a guarantee of successs. Part of leadership is the ability to form a winning team.
Duterte isn’t without fault in this aspect but whatever mistakes he made he owned up to it and made up for it. Unlike Noynoy, who didn’t fire any of his Cabinet members even if they were embroiled in controversy, Duterte didn’t hesitate to fire a member of his Cabinet even if they were close to him.
Marcos should correct these mistakes early on. This early, there seems to be a disconnect that is hard to explain but I think, is felt by Filipinos who voted for him to continue with what Duterte has started.
It is best to nip this in the bud before it becomes a cancer that envelopes his administration.
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