Bagong Alyansang Makabayan said the courtesy resignation of Cabinet members is an empty gesture if the Marcos Jr government would continue to implement policies responsible for the daily hardships of ordinary Filipinos.
Marcos has blamed everyone – the Dutertes, the opposition, China, and now his Cabinet members – except himself for the drop in the government’s public approval ratings. His candidates didn’t perform well in the polls because he failed to address rising prices while repeatedly rejecting the urgent demand to increase the minimum wage of workers.
No Cabinet reshuffle can bring down the price of rice to P20/kilo if laws like the Rice Tarrification Law allows large-scale importation to the detriment of local producers. Marcos conveniently denounces corruption in the agencies surpervised by his Cabinet secretaries but fails to mention that his office controls the biggest pork barrel and confidential funds in the government.
The Cabinet reorganization is similar to what he did in 2022 when he simply rebranded the notorious programs of his predecessor. For example, Tokhang was renamed Bida (Buhay Ingatan, Droga’y Ayawan).
Despite his claim that he is different from Duterte, he continues the same policies that boosted repression and abuse of power in the country. Instead of replacing agency heads, he should abolish unproductive agencies like the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict which does nothing but redtag critics, suppress dissent, and terrorize communities.
It is not enough for the president to appoint honest, patriotic, and dedicated Cabinet members. His government should abandon its reliance on neoliberal programs that led to the decline of agriculture and the dismantling of the country’s manufacturing base. A new foreign policy is needed to replace the current subservient policy of allowing the US to establish bases and convert the Philippines into an extension of its military network.
Marcos falls short in recognizing the shortcomings of his government because he refuses to admit that his biggest problem is his stubborn defense of elite and foreign interests while preventing any meaningful attempt to uplift the conditions of workers, farmers, and marginalized classes. In other words, the Cabinet reshuffle is a mere cosmetic and tokenistic gesture that does little to alleviate the hardships of ordinary Filipinos much less address the underlying causes of crisis in society.#
