Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) president Renato Reyes Jr. criticized Malacañang’s defense of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s engagements with ASEAN leaders and U.S. President Donald Trump, saying the administration has failed to show tangible benefits for ordinary Filipinos.
Reacting to remarks by Palace Press Officer Claire Castro, Reyes argued that the government would not need to persuade the public if its policies were clearly benefiting the country.
“If you even need to convince people that what the President is doing with ASEAN and Trump is for the good of the country, then clearly the government has failed,” Reyes said in a statement.
He added that many Filipinos see “no benefit” from the administration’s actions and instead view them as “perwisyo, pagtatakip sa kahirapan at paglulustay ng pondo ng bayan.”
Reyes also rejected claims that protesters damage the country’s image, saying, “Ang sumisira sa imahen ng bansa ay hindi ang mga nagpoprotesta, lalong hindi ang mahihirap, kundi ang mga tiwali at palpak na namumuno.”
He maintained that no amount of image-building could change public perception of poor governance and corruption. #(RRN)
