Reports of another impending shakedown in Malacañang come as no surprise to those who have been paying attention. As early as May this year, Palawan News pointed out the urgent need for radical changes in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s core team. Six months later, the administration finds itself in a crisis that validates the very concerns we have raised. It is one that is not of the President’s making but brought about somehow by his team’s sheer mishandling.
The President made a bold move when he called out corruption at the Department of Public Works and Highways and exposed the anomalous flood control projects that have drained billions from public coffers. It was the kind of decisive anti-corruption stance that Filipinos have long demanded. Ironically, what should have been a defining moment of leadership has instead inched closer to becoming a political disaster.
Now, there are rumors that the president is set to replace the current executive secretary who, while undoubtedly a brilliant lawyer, lacked the experience in the rough-and-tumble world of political maneuvering needed to serve as the President’s first and last line of defense. If true, it could be a recovery move that the palace perhaps so desperately needs.
The DPWH crisis has proven this assessment painfully accurate. Where was the strategic communications plan? Where was the political groundwork to ensure key allies understood the necessity of the anti-corruption drive? Where was the damage control when opposition forces predictably seized the issue to attack the administration?
The political fallout has been severe. What should have been managed as a controlled investigation with clear messaging and strategic rollout has gotten out of hand and made the President look reactive rather than in command.
We had pointed out that such mediocre performance had called for a reset. A competent core team would have anticipated the political backlash. They would have prepared messaging strategies, secured legislative support, coordinated with law enforcement agencies, and controlled the narrative.
Unfortunately for the President, his bold decision has been undermined by a team that appears perpetually caught off guard, unable to translate presidential vision into effective governance.
Another shakedown, if true, raises the same critical question: will a major reorganization address the actual problem, or will it simply reshuffle loyal but inadequate appointees?
The DPWH crisis has exposed a systemic failure of the administration’s approach to governance. Fixing this requires more than replacing faces. It demands a fundamental rethinking of how appointments are made.
The DPWH corruption scandal gave the President an opportunity to demonstrate his brand of leadership. Whatever reorganization comes next must prioritize political acumen, strategic communications capability, and crisis management experience.
