The Clock is Ticking for President Marcos
Analysis and Opinion
By Joe America
A nation is like an aircraft carrier with a banca engine. It moves and changes direction slowly. Or not at all if there are winds and waves like corruption, incompetence, and impunity. A lot of government officials in the Philippines seem to prefer little change because they are rich and powerful even if the nation goes nowhere.
President Marcos has done little during his two years in office by my judgement. He’s traveled a lot, internationally and domestically in the Philippines, but it’s mostly been putting the shine on the deck. Removing a few barnacles, flying a flag, singing a song. He’s not done anything about China’s incursions or turned Duterte over to the ICC. He coddles his VP and a clown named Gadon because he owes political favors. Not because he’s building a great nation. Pogo gambling hubs continue to be horrific crime dens and corruption centers.
Gangs of Chinese mainlanders infest the nation, banning Filipinos from their establishments. Chinese miners dig up the valuable Filipino dirt and ship it off to the mainland.. China steals fish from Philippine seas and sells them back to Filipinos. China’s corporations dig up Manila Bay to build landfills to house businesses and residential enclaves for Chinese mainlanders. China Telecom operates a cell phone network and State Grid Corporation of China owns 40% of the Philippine electrical grid operator. China’s corporations must do whatever China asks.
All this seems strategically stupid to me, but it enriches a lot of entitled Filipinos. I don’t exactly see how they can be considered patriots. China is buying the Philippines and the commissions must be huge.
The President has put a wealth investment fund in place that seems to serve no purpose unless it is a place to launder corruption money.
You can tell he is anxious about things because he wants the Constitution amended, probably to extend his term in office. And he is doing silly things like his father did, forcing the nation to sing a loyalty song for him. Talking in big words. Being seen with important people. Trying to look meaningful. Building things that won’t be done soon.
The clock is ticking for President Marcos.
The lead candidates for President in 2028 seem to be populists. One is VP and Education Secretary Sara “I Love China” Duterte. The other is Senator Raffy “Radio Voice” Tulfo. Former VP Leni “Basket of Honors” Robredo would probably be third. Marcos’ cousin, the designated heir apparent, House Speaker Martin “Imelda’s Family” Romualdez, apparently can’t get out from behind the podium. A non-starter, idiomatically. The President’s sister Imee “Crying Time” Marcos is running ads to try to become popular, but few seem to like or trust her. She seems closer to the Dutertes than to her brother. One could imagine a ticket with Sara Duterte as President and Imee Marcos as VP, but it’s kinda dopey to me.
Therein lies the problem for President Marcos. It’s likely “one and done”.
And the presidency in 2028 is an open field.
President Marcos is not the permanent icon he’d like to be. He’s just the son putting on the shine for six years.
The Philippines is likely to remain a huge ship adrift, going nowhere. The President will leave office.
Well, how do you build a Philippines that is not limited by its unimaginative, un-united, dynastic barons? Who genuinely can run the nation to make it great, not coddle family members and friends first and care for the nation if it is convenient?
Three come to mind. Leni Robredo. Risa Hontiveros. Gilbert Teodoro.
The nation does not lack builders.
It lacks the capacity to put them in the driver’s seat.
President Marcos does not seem to be a builder. More a showman.
President Marcos has only four years left to reconstruct his family’s reputation by improving the Philippines. He needs to make some big decisions fast or he will go out like a lamb, wobbly kneed and wondering what just happened.
____________________
Photo from Kyodo News via Reuters, in the article “Marcos’s first year was a mixed bag for the Philippines” published by eastasiaforum.org on January 18, 2024.
The Society of Honor by Joe America 
Hello Joe,
Are you Filipino? I am. I was born and raised and still here in the Philippines. Do you think we can elect a leader who can “run the nation to make it great, not coddle family members and friends first and care for the nation if it is convenient”? If you do then, you have more faith in Filipinos. I don’t. As long as the majority of Filipinos are uneducated, living below the poverty line, and willing to sell their votes for a few thousand so they can celebrate a birthday or a fiesta “the Philippines is likely to remain a huge ship adrift, going nowhere”. What the Philippines needs is total cleansing to remove the dynastic families and opportunistic and pretentious leaders. Who will lead this blood bath? Unfortunately, nobody has the guts and is willing to kill or die to make this nation great. We had that chance after the EDSA revolution but, we squandered it and allowed the politicos to take over. The Philippines. The Pearl of the Orient. What a waste. Best regards,
Welcome to the blog, Herman. I’m an American living, writing, and learning in the Philippines for two decades now. The Philippines is challenged for sure, especially in a social media era where ignorance is weaponized by empowered people of questionable national loyalty. But Filipinos elected President Aquino and are not in as dire straits as, say, Americans who consider age more despicable than crooks, rapists, liars, insurrectionists, and rapists. If good people can band together, they can put the Philippines on a more successful path.
hey, my reply got lost!
Thanks for heads up. It went to spam for some (unknown) reason. Out now. Also one of i7sharps.
salamat kaayo!
ah, herman, you seemed to know filipinos, but. a lot of filipinos are uneducated maybe not academically as the case of the ultimate master hacker who allegedly reports to the art samaneigo, an apparent computer tinkerer, a ‘savant’ who is self taught and not been to IT colleges but tapped by art samaniego a top philippines cyber expert to hack and break through toughest of firewalls and most strident of cyber securities put in place both here and overseas and done so successfully that art samaniego presumably run a blog with the latest info not yet available to the public.
well, wouldnt it be nice if said savant is tapped to find out if indeed there really was massive cyber cheating last presidential election 2022, where vote counting machines tested to be functional malfunctioned on polling day.
spilling guts and blood bath may have played part in our history, but in today’s time may no longer be needed.
PBBM and Filipinos can only do so much, Joe. its the USA and American corporations that need to step up and prove that the Philippines is better off with the USA than with China. sure militarly theres a lot of cavorting , but until the US extends its corporate and finance sectors to the Philippines all that means nothing. I agree with PBBM’s play re the ICC it’ll just make heroes of the Dutertes if the ICC swoops down to extraordinarily rendish DU30 and his peeps. fuck the ICC let them keep arresting non-whites around the world, thats all theyre good for (eastern Europeans too). PBBM and my beloved Inday Sara are in a perfect position to play good cop bad cop here, PBBM goes to the US and Inday Sara plays footsy with Xi. highest bidder wins, for sure the US will perk up and start getting serious with the Philippines. my point, the balls in the US court now, Joe. up to them how they wanna treat the Philippines. just as military staging ground or business innovation and much more. I think Trump would pull back the military and do more of the business approach. he’s very squeamish when it comes to the military-industrial complex i noticed. which weirdly is good in the middle of an impending Thucydides trap developing at the moment with China.
The US can only do so much, haha, and Filipino destiny is up to Filipinos, in the main. The US is working with Japan on building industrial depth here but that kind of thing goes slow. Probably not even noticeable by 2028.
Filipinos prefer the US, not China. Corrupt cronies prefer China, not the US. China likes expansion of her power and resources and all the high falutin’ greek quotes in the world will not temper Xi’s ambition. Trump will be a disaster for the world, splitting apart alliances now based on polly anna values of fairness and compassion, and casting new ones of might and lunacy.
The Philippines would do best to simply build her industrial strength to modern levels, get what she can from the US and others, and expect nothing from China at all.
Here is the plan, from the equine’s facial orifice.
https://www.state.gov/the-united-states-the-philippines-and-japan-launch-the-partnership-for-global-infrastructure-and-investment-luzon-economic-corridor/
hear, hear! philippines really needs to build industrial muscles instead of leaving all to pogos. such hulking vehemoths in our landscrape them pogos, massive visual blots and yet, local governments look the other way, or simply connived with pogos and live happily ever after. their cup runneth over amidst the hardships of pogo workers most are trafficked and shackled, abused and beaten, their passports withheld.
so its true, pbbm wants philippines to be business hub of asia, and attracted undesirables, exploiters, and human traffickers their visa fast tracked in business for sake of business deal. outcomes of subsequent checks made on them is the state’s biggest secret and not for our eyes.
if not for hontiveros we would not have gotten alice guo and ultimately her connections to pogo hubs, right there in the thick of tarlac.
Yes indeed. Marcos leads with show, Hontiveros with substance.
My admin comments page tabulates that commenters here have offered 166,188 comments, of which 27,886 have been from me. A total of 115 are in the trash bin, which is where yours will go if you take us off onto US political trails. That is just a heads up.
thanks, Joe. makes sense Luzon Economic Corridor which sets up Inday Sara’s run for 2028 perfectly, eg. why no focus on Davao and Pac-man’s city. but more importantly tamper down this Thucydides trap stuff only serves the military industrial complex on both sides. China wants to compete businessly, why not compete there. i mean GWOT is over. the Philippines has the power to compel the US to do more. ps. I don’t usually get into US political matters first as i’m just responding to comments about US political matters myself, Joe. meaning i’m just reacting not pro-acting here. i’m here for Philippine stuff and have other recourse for US political stuff online. but I am unabashly pro- my beloved Inday Sara. this i don’t apologize ever. never. lol. so be fore warned.
^ these guys are already under China, Joe. so the Philippines is in a very special and potentially productive spot. but instead of dominoes, its railways. so Ro-Ro’s is the way in Philippines. Japan is already operating in Gen. Santos cuz tuna. they need to expand there. then Ro-Ro’s all over.
especially the big coastal ones, Joe. Japan-Philippines can totally build ships together. Cebu already is making big ships.
Your “beloved Inday Sara” is non-negotiable? Could you kindly tell us WHY? I’d love to hear what the attraction is all about since she gives me the heebie-jeebies.
hi, JP. i wrote two articles on this. but basically IMHO VP Inday Sara fights for the little people as such the little people like her in return. in short she has the common touch, as well as a hard punch to boot. two combinations needed in the philippines. she’ll need to translate her punching into policies but in essence she’s a fighter for filipinos. VP Leni or Mar Roxas never could muster this metaphor of punching the good fight. as for heebie jeebies in the commentaries of those two articles i shared a bunch of videos as to her maturity as leader.
but if your heebie jeebies are due to her supposed pro-China stance, don’t believe the hype JP, listen to this dude its essentially VP Inday Sara’s stance which is sane. more need to take this view.
Thanks, Lance. My first time to learn of the “Thucydides Trap.”
Speaking of trap, could there a trap here (or a manifestation of already being trapped)?:
https://www.facebook.com/katolikongpinoy/posts/pfbid0YjMMRYPMKYKBY8RRvADAsADYLHBMLkadW9TkKqgu7Py1g1Qa9JDb1WhDtELNE9Kbl?__cft__%5B0%5D=AZUjvjVjhvc_pd8nmsZe5UCFfC3y1gXNVSSZuJZYsJJtsIGShpA249oU-3bSVEyYfsjLp180kI59O41bg8lVZJ84EpPj0GyR6kEykhlmVy6G_87eBItlCBU7saFXkCYrUk4hRnz5i6Un42przjkFHce4bKlNmx46nFcVJxc1KxqwfoGESzRUkyh9JA0XmM5EZUeFz161ZWLFrkb_G2zF4H_h&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R
(I received the above link just now.)
its like the Line of Actual Control in India and China, i7sharp. instead of sticks and stones, in the South China Sea its with water canons and sunken ships. Bhutan is now in play as China has also constructed islands there (military bases). worrying India’s chicken neck region. Philippines should elevate it from water to sticks too. and mobilize the nation’s eskrimadors arming them with Insta360 X4 cameras to stream online. not my idea but Neal Stephenson’s in Termination Shock. incentivize clicks and likes in the South China seas. bring int’l attention to it.
Oh no…may the clock not stop ticking now at Sara is still there. May both their clocks stop ticking simultaneously. God have mercy on their voters Yahoo Mail: Search, Organize, Conquer
Odds are fair that both their political clocks will stop in 2028.
I wonder what may happen again in 2028. As long as some Filipino voters are comfortable with dole outs before the election, they will always elect those who are corrupt, those who are thinking of an easy way of amassing wealth to their names.
Then my question of patriotism stretches way past the populists and the businessmen to wonder what exactly being Filipino means to Filipinos. That someone else has to do the tough job of being honest and caring about the character of leaders? It’s rather futile I suppose, to care.
it’s probly not true that filipinos always elect those who are corrupt, even though it looks that way. we did elect president noy, leila de lima, trillanes, hontiveros, bam aquino, lagman, et al. though bam aquino, trillanes and de lima failed re-election. their numbers were not enough to get them to the finish line.
dole outs are given, might as well take them, freebies. does not meant votes though it looks that way too. pacman namudmud ng pera and lost. I think, what is of concern is the unseen enemy, the ones that work best when no one is looking: those vote counting machines and their operators are quite resistant to checks and balances. or the likes.
people and machines, voters are one thing, those machines are another. one can be innocent, the other lies.
Social media dirty the process and so does crab emotionality that sees success as somehow insulting. Roxas lost because his easy success was hard for voters to stomach.
compared to duterte who slept under kulambo and ate with his hands like he does not own kubyertos when he has millions of money allegedly stashed in secret bank accounts, roxas seems a distant royalty. duterte who bravely declared he would jetski to the shoal and plant philippines flag there, and turned out he cannot even swim let alone ride a jet ski, roxas did not counter attack and returned the volley humor for humor and say he’d mount a bazooka on his shoulder and shot invaders in our shores ala super mario! joke for joke sake, unscripted but. had roxas gone down that level of accessibility and be good sport, god knows how far he would have advanced.
roxas easy success in earlier times did not guarantee success in subsequent quest. though people were grateful for roxas sponsoring bills about subsidized heart medicine lipitor. but the battle was not about the past, it was about that particular present point in time, and he appeared summat nonchallant, too gallant when the battle calls for bravado.
well, just me opinion, really.
Good insights, as per usual. What juices do you drink. Non-alcoholic. 😂🤣😂
Gonna get some.
This Balik Scientist program seems like a great idea that needs to be expanded, Joe. looking into it now and noticed Mindanao is over represented or maybe favored which seems like a good thing. more for Mindanao. ireneo , are you familiar with the Balik Scientist program. i’m assuming the Filipino PhDs working abroad aren’t too keen to take a pay cut, but for sure the retirees having worked in academia in US or Western EU or Australia would gravitate toward this program. wondering now if theres an arts/humanities version. or even just Filipinos who have worked abroad as high level managers for corporations or int’l organizations like WB/IMF, UN , etc. why not have ’em contribute their expertise instead of just sending balikbayan boxes. lol.
https://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/renowned-nematologist-completes-balik-scientist-program-stint
QI know the Balik Scientist program. The ONLY time I ever was in Malacañan as part of a group of Philippine Science High School students, Makoy himself, President Marcos Sr., called for the Balik-Scientists to please stand up.
A classmate and myself looked at each other and tried to suppress laughter as no one stood up, of course laughing just 5 rows in front of The President wasn’t wise back then. Hard to make people who have left come back. Seems there were some who came back in the time of PNoy as the Philippines promised to become a more modern place, don’t know about nowadays though.
as we see with a lot of manufacturing and research agglomeration effects overwhelm most other effects for building science and building industry and high technology. The budget is really not enough for these agglomeration effects to be relevant. There needs to be a rethinking of how we deal with things. We cannot throw money to the problem. we need strategic investments. Usage of LLMs is key to making things more viable
oooh that sounds interesting. LLMs re Balik Scientist. i’m thinking also Balik Artists. then i thought about your LLM idea. maybe no artists needed either just produce AI art then hire local artists to execute said AI art. for example that nematode expert, other than bureaucratic knowledge of institutions which she’d not really be privvy to as researcher all her expertise would be available online. this is an interesting perspective i’d not thought of, gian, but now that I’m thinking of it. there really is no need for Balik Anything, hell even Balik Bayan is obsolete with block chain. no need.
Basic idea about education is, thinking of writing something longer
Initial target is the alternative becomes the default. ASL and Home Schooling or alternative learning system would be the default.
Get LLM tutors for each kid.
Teachers shift to coaches and analysis of the needs of kids.
minimize need for classrooms means less infrastructure.
There are still classes but YouTube or topic oriented.
fully laderized education.
incorporate jobs starting highschool. grade 7-12
implement GMAs K-10 + 2 idea.
majority of budget is spent on teacher salaries and retirement then infrastructure that is never enough.
Superb ideas. The Philippine education system is bogged down in paper. Save the trees!
gian, please do a write up on this. as education systems are a favorite topic of mine. especially with AI.
I hope Sen. Delima and Hontiveros will run against Matin Romualdes Sara D and Imee Marcos.
it’s been rumored pogo and it bottomless fund illegally gotten will fund election 2028.
That’s interesting, about Atty De Lima. I don’t know if she has the popularity broadly. She heads the Liberal Party and I don’t know about them, either. Senator Hontiveros is the true opposition leader these days. I like her but don’t hear much clamor for her to run. No pink wave. Maybe Leni Robredo’s backing will be key for deciding whoever takes on Duterte et al.
aside from YouTube, does raffy Tulfo actually have like a political foundation on the ground? I remember ireneo sharing yt videos of him at work that was the first i’d known of him and i know Filipinos love tv/radio personalities and wowowee antics but when it comes to votes i think Filipinos like deliverables (or perceived deliverables). maybe if he did an action movie on top of youtube videos, but right now i just can’t see Tulfo. and i’m sure shabu is on the rise again, making Inday Sara’s name ascendant. this VP Sara and Imee Marcos ticket looks interesting. am thinking this Liza Marcos drama is Imee’s idea (hell maybe her mom’s) to ensure Dutertes and Marcoses dominate for a long time to come, they know too well what Filipinos like– drama. I hope Hontiveros stirs clear from D5. thats her only chance. Maybe Hontiveros/Tulfo vs. VP Sara/Marcos?
Too much speculation is hard on the head. Tulfo is known, and so is Duterte. There is almost zero substance to it. Hontiveros is not known outside of political mavens. Pacquiao is known but people understand boxing is not a foundation for being president. Radio and TV are proof of ability. Robredo is known, Poe is known, but they don’t shake the trees free of fruit, which voters hungrily sit under.
reading up on Tuflo, Joe. and looks like his brother Ramon Tulfo is best buds with Duterte. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erwin_Tulfo these guys are like a power house. so maybe a VP Sara/Raffy Tulfo duo is more likely. what gets me is Raffy Tulfo leads VP Sara in the Visayas. but he’s no opposition. the best bet for opposition right now is another VP Sara and VP Leni ticket, which i shoulda trademarked. lol. l like that metaphor of shaking fruits with hungry voters mouths agape. just be interesting and entertaining.
Get back to me on Thursday (PH time) when I have another article coming out.
The Tulfos are old school to me. Slapping backs, winking. I have no idea where the young superstars have gone. Vico Sotto is 35 so could run for senator. I wish he would. Bam Aquino is getting chippier than I’ve seen him before. That’s good.
I dunno if you watch House of the Dragon HBO, Joe. but yesterday’s episode was about advisors, how they make mistakes (son for a son order) and how they over step their place (like the hand) and how some are unqualified (ser criston Cole) and some just don’t want any part of it (mysaria, who i hope will have an expanded role in the show). these folks try to nudge the decision makers–Mysaria just wants to escape though whatever she divulges tends to weigh a lot in the grander scheme. my point, maybe there are Mysarias in the Philippines in a sea of wheelers and dealers. but yeah upon cursory searches I do tend to agree with you on the Tulfos, Joe. VP Sara needs to be wary of them. but who is VP Sara’s Mysaria? karl knows.
Correct, unfortunatelynit is still a popularity contest.
https://tribune.net.ph/2024/06/25/make-way-for-duter3
heto, the dutertes are pitching in, hedging on their popularity once again. three of them for senate in 2028! parang magmumurang kamatis!
incidentally, sara duterte was seen with neck scaring, apparently nagtamo ng gurgur (slashing), unsuccessful neck slashing just when one of our marinos lost a finger in the tussle with uber aggressive chinese coastguard armed with grappling hooks.
https://www.manilatimes.net/2024/06/26/news/national/they-tried-to-slash-me-vp-says/1953300
sara duterte pictured with neck wound scarring. at one time, I thought she tried to have neck tattoo that did not work quite right, tattoo gun too hot.
You’re correct, Karl. Even Americans succumb to personality and performative politics. Some idolize Trump because he is an expert panderer and used to be a TV celebrity.
https://mekeniman.blogspot.com/2024/06/91-power-and-glory-in-realm-of-muslim.html?sc=1719293494889#c2623754420560611171
by Alex D.R. Castro
Monday,
June 24, 2024
91. The Power and the Glory: IN THE REALM OF MUSLIM MAJESTIES
Joe, you correctly described history as mostly a gang fight recently.
Thus, consiglieri like Merlin or Mar Roxas never become kings unless you have a society that is somewhat civilized, and that’s the US today shows a thin layer on our Stone Age nature.
Nice guys – and nice girls like Leni Robredo – usually finish last in times of crisis, it takes nice girls who are ready to fight like Hontiveros nowadays.
Even a Tulfo who does know when to call lawyers on his TV show and not just punch people is quite progressive in today’s Philippines, much like Goth Kings of old who knew when to call on literate Romans to deal with complex administrative matters.
Answers aren’t easy at all nowadays.
I agree Tulfo has perspective, having been around more problematic blocks than this blog. I’d find his presidency, if it came to pass, worth watching.
Leni is not a snake. Filipinos like snakes, I think. There are good ones that eat rats, and poisonous ones.
but she was! a snake, even trillanes once confronted leni for getting jejomar binay in her like up. leni was already compromised then but did not capitalise that there are people deserving of 2nd chances, tainted people like jejomar binay. her rational why binay should be in her line up was not very convincing.
She is smart, but a shark would not have waited until the last minute to start campaigning. A shark would have laid groundwork for years. As the Dutertes are doing.
roxas lost the presidency 2016 because apparently he did not want it like his life depended on it. sometimes absent at soirees and when present he seemed bored and disengaged, the inflection of his voice was so telling.
so it’s a popularity contest and for 3months intensive electioneering campaign, roxas could not exhaust himself and give his all, all, all! or if he has given his all and has nothing more left to give! he could not be stretched anymore. hanggang dyan lang siya. I was sad he lost.
if I was candidate, I’d wear a bikini if need be, I’d be darna in drag or anything to get attention! then I can be serious in conservative business suit, yelling and shouting like they do at auction, just to be heard, and backtrack when opportunity calls. I can be funny, I can be sad, I can be ruthless and I can be serious and compassionate and most of all, l can be political!
I better stop talking, it’s scary to be out of one’s shell, haha.
Mar Roxas invited me to lunch during his campaigning, and it was delightful. A mix of chatter, stories, and him wanting to know if I knew any of the hotshots on Biliran Island, which he helicoptered into the following day. A true gentleman. Sane. Smart. Funny. Gracious. I’m sorry he lost, too. He shoulda wore a bikini.
didnt bill clinton play the saxophone? donald trump danced but could not do the irish jig! they stand out in people’s memory. ilona staler showed her left breast and won senate seat in italy. even our very own trillanes did the push ups and showed his fitness for the job, and gotten himself senate seat!
election is for big time exaggerations and blowing their trumpets loudest! and they certainly have their battering rams dusted and polished and used it, risking all. and when it comes down to shove, the dust settled, they surprisingly have the talent and skills needed to do their job and the temerity to go for reelection.
True on all that. I suppose every successful politician has to have populist tendencies. Hmmmmm.
You remind me of Ms Kris Aquino. She should be the one nicknamed “Ballsy.” She has the brain, the heart, beauty and audacity to be anything she wants to be. PH had two good Aquinos as president. They come in three, they say.
didnt kris campaign for robin padilla! I heard she even pulled rank and cold call baranggay tanods. it was reported that robin later thanked her for her effort.
at one time, kris was rumored to be not keen on roxas. maybe, something to do with korina. but I would leave it to roxas, it was his call, his campaign, his battle, it was up to him who to line up, who to whip and who to shape. and if he has left no stones unturned, nopey, nopey, I wont go that that road again. still hurts me though that he lost.
Kris is a tad unpredictable, but she’s a Society member, so it’s not for me to try to read her mind.
How Russian Girl Became Fluent in Tagalog| Advices from a Russian Living 11 years in the Philippines
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWddtN32qfg
x-
Join us on a conversation with Anna Rabtsun, from @baylosissquad a Russian expat who has been living in the Philippines for 11 years and is married to a Filipino. In this mini-interview, Anna shares her incredible journey of learning Tagalog, from her initial challenges to becoming fluent. She also offers valuable advice and tips on how to master the language. Whether you’re a language enthusiast or planning to move to the Philippines, Anna’s insights are sure to inspire and guide you. Don’t miss out on this fascinating conversation! As for me, I’m currently at the stage where I’m only able to sing songs in Tagalog, but Anna’s journey has inspired me and made me believe that soon I will be able to speak the language fluently too.
-x
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWddtN32qfg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzC5gE-vgGM
Excellent assessment of PBBM’s first two years. His last four years will likely mirror the other two. He basically copied and pasted a lot of his father’s policies/programs and even recycled his branding. He needs to stop being nostalgic and start making progressive decisions that are his own if he wants to be remembered positively. He can start by weeding his administration of those who make him look bad, clearing the numerous foreign investment obstacles and being proactive in domestic economic issues.
Precisely. The Copy Paste President. I like that.