Marcos admits headhunting woes

Photos from the official Facebook page of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Reuters

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday marked his first 100 days in office on social media, with various government departments enumerating their achievements since he began his term last June 30.

The president’s official social media accounts featured graphics and videos focusing on what his administration has done in various fields, particularly health, livelihood, peace, and education.

In vlogs on Facebook and YouTube, Marcos, alluding to his being a former local executive and the son of a former president, said his familiarity with the job aided him in getting down to business as the head of the government.

“Some say that the first 100 days is the honeymoon period [where one] seems to be fumbling about, but it’s not the way I felt, maybe because I’m already familiar with the work, [and] that is why I was able to buckle down quickly,” he said.

The president said his “great victory” during his first 100 days is “giving a clear direction and purpose to all the agencies of our government and the Filipino people [and] imparting on all civil servants the quality of public service and cooperation that we need to have in order to achieve the recovery that we are aspiring for.”

“With the passage of the 100 days of office, we will continue and intensify our work and service for the country to fulfill your dreams and mine, for our beloved Philippines,” he added.

Marcos admitted that he devoted a “long time” looking for the “best and brightest” whom he could appoint to the government. He recently let go of two major Cabinet officials — the executive secretary and the press secretary.

Nevertheless, the president said that despite the short amount of time that has gone by to fulfill his administration’s overall plans, “we have laid down, with the help of our diligent bureaucracy, the strong foundations as start of the recovery efforts that we promised.”

He said government agencies have “linkages” with one another to ensure that “sufficient attention” would be given to the foundations of what he regarded as the “components of a prosperous society,” namely, health, livelihood, peace, and education.

For the health sector, he mentioned, among other things, the issuance of the P1.04-billion special allotment release order for the special risk allowance of healthcare workers, the intensified booster vaccination drive, and enhancing social mobility and economic activity by making the wearing of face masks outdoors voluntary.

In the peace process, the president cited the appointment of representatives of rival factions to the Bangsamoro Transition Authority and the continuing of the local integration program for 2,000 former rebels.

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