EDITORIAL - A bold reset

Dissatisfied by the performance of his electoral slate during the recently-concluded mid-term elections, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has demanded the courtesy resignation of his entire Cabinet, in what he called a “bold reset”.

“It’s time to realign government with the people’s expectations. This is not business as usual… The people have spoken, and they expect results --not politics, not excuses. We hear them, and we will act,” he said.

Although many of them have done so, it was also announced that Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Trade Secretary Maria Cristina Roque, Finance Secretary Ralph Recto, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, Economic Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, and Special Assistant to the President for Investments and Economic Affairs Frederick Go are being retained, although this list may become longer after this article has been published.

The mid-term election has always been a barometer of how good, or at least how people perceive how good, an administration is doing. Considering the dismal showing of administration bets during the recent polls --especially in the Senate race-- it would seem that many people aren’t exactly happy with how the country is being run.

It is good President Marcos finally realizes that not everything is roses here in the Philippines. The signs have always been there, but somehow the message never seemed to come across to him that not everyone is doing his or her job. Now reality seems to have slapped him in the face. Now he seems to have had a rude awakening and it is leading him to make bold moves.

But will those moves pay off or are they too late in the game? He only has half his term left after all.

He now has three more years to strengthen his position or make the so-called “opposition” even stronger. He knows what’s at stake. He knows what awaits him and his family if someone he doesn’t ordain rises to the presidency.