Marcos Cabinet revamp will fail if only for image management – Makabayan
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. — Screengrab from a video posted on his Facebook page.
MANILA, Philippines — Reshuffling Cabinet officials in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration would be ineffective if the primary goal is merely image management, the Makabayan bloc said on Thursday.
In separate statements, former lawmakers Antonio Tinio of the ACT Teachers party-list and Carlos Zarate of Bayan Muna have raised concerns over the possibility that the Cabinet reshuffle is only a political ploy to appease people who are dissatisfied with the administration.
“If the midterm elections are a referendum on the president’s performance, then Marcos Jr. clearly failed to garner a resounding vote of confidence from the Filipino people. The Cabinet reshuffle is an acknowledgment of the administration slate’s poor showing by a president eager to stave off lame duck status,” Tinio said.
“However, any reshuffle will be doomed as a mere exercise in image management for as long as President Marcos fails to address the roots of poverty and inequality: the lack of comprehensive agrarian reform and national industrialization policy, continued underfunding of social services, and rampant corruption and political patronage,” he added.
Zarate, meanwhile, said Marcos’ call for his officials to submit courtesy resignations should not be used to negotiate, especially with the president seemingly extending a hand of reconciliation to the Dutertes.
“President Marcos’s move to consolidate his faction in the wake of the administration’s electoral debacle should not be used as a smokescreen to cover up bad governance and the worsening economic situation of the country,” Zarate said.
“This cabinet reshuffle, if it proceeds as a mere political ploy, will only serve to appease anti-Marcos forces, particularly the Duterte dynasty, to whom President Marcos appears to be making a reconciliation overture,” he added.
In a press release from the Presidential News Desk, Marcos said the results of the recently concluded elections cannot be considered “business as usual” because people expect better results
“It’s time to realign the government with the people’s expectations,” he added.
READ: Marcos orders courtesy resignation of all Cabinet secretaries
According to Marcos, officials “who have delivered and continue to deliver will be recognized,” but he reminded that the government “cannot afford to be complacent.”
Tinio believes these talks of reconciliation are nothing but political posturing.
“Ignore the bogus talk about reconciliation coming from the Marcos and Duterte camps. All this noise is intended to distract from the government’s failure to address the Filipino people’s basic needs, while exposing the hollow nature of elite ‘reconciliation’,” he said.
“Both President Marcos Jr.’s statement that he is always open to reconciliation and Senator [Bong] Go’s statement demanding Duterte’s return before any reconciliation talks are nothing but political posturing. The latter is a pathetic attempt to show unwavering loyalty to his patron currently detained in the Hague and pander to the Duterte supporters,” he added.
Zarate, meanwhile, noted that Bayan Muna had warned Marcos not to dangle accountability as a negotiation chip for reconciliation.
READ: Marcos warned:Do not sacrifice accountability for political peace
“The call for resignations must not be a superficial exercise aimed at pacifying political rivals or diverting attention from the administration’s shortcomings,” Zarate said.
“More importantly, we warned the Marcos administration not to make political pawns out of critical issues of accountability and good governance, such as the coming impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte and the ongoing International Criminal Court trial of former President Rodrigo Duterte. These are matters of profound public interest and justice, and they must be allowed to proceed independently, free from political interference or manipulation meant to serve power plays between these dynastic factions,” he added.
Various sectors have also weighed in, with the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) suggesting that officials’ ability to collaborate with local government units (LGUs) should be a factor.
LMP National President Mayor JB Bernos of La Paz, Abra said on Thursday that collaborations with LGUs should be a “key criterion in evaluating Cabinet officials.”
READ: LMP to Marcos: Check Cabinet execs’ work based on projects with LGUs
“I unequivocally express my support to the President’s orders on behalf of the 1,486-strong League of Municipalities of the Philippines,” Bernos said in a statement. “If local government units conduct periodic performance reviews, so must the national government, especially those who are entrusted to bring the President’s vision to reality.”
“The only thing I am asking the President is to also consider how much the departments have collaborated or supported the municipalities in the past three years,” he added.
