The Bong Go school of presidential management

The big topic or tsismis over the weekend has of course been about the (former?) Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez who submitted his resignation as ES but will be taking on the role of Presidential Chief of Staff. This, according to self-proclaimed insiders, is a strategy to by-pass the Commission on Appointments where several critics have privately communicated that Atty. Rodriguez will not be confirmed. The polite excuse is that Rodriguez failed to submit the required documents. The excuse, however, is lame because failing to submit documents earns you a “by-pass” but should not be grounds for an outright rejection since no nominee for executive secretary has been rejected in modern history because the ES is the alter ego of the sitting president, a.k.a the Little President.

The truth of the matter is that as early as July there were already people and factions, even Vloggers, who’ve been busy doing a demolition job against Atty. Vic Rodriguez who, unfortunately for him, does not qualify as “Prince Charming for 2022.” Some have even passed around a white paper to members of media, but no one gave it space because of the evident political agenda or vested interest groups behind it. Criticism and demolition jobs come with the territory but in his case, the termites under the seat of Atty. Vic Rodriguez are members of Team Unity from the top to the bottom. That tells us that there is a far more serious problem in Malacañang and the PBBM administration than the unpopularity of Vic Rodriguez: The greed for power and position that is now pummeling Rodriguez out of the way so that various groups can put in their anointed ones in various offices of the executive department. People want to pin the tail on the donkey named Vic Rodriguez, but the bigger ass belongs to relatives and allies of BBM.

Whether he is or was the ES and now becomes the Presidential Chief of Staff really doesn’t matter. What matters is if Vic Rodriguez continues to have the trust, confidence and the ear of PBBM as his principal gate keeper. The best model for the job is no one else than Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go who, for all intents and purposes, was the second most powerful person in the Philippines during the time of former president Rodrigo Duterte. Nothing and no one ever got to PRRD without Bong Go knowing about it and clearing it or delivering it to the president. He was labeled as “Selfie King,” “Presidential Photo Bomber” and all sorts of nicknames, all designed to minimize impressions of power and influence. But in his time, good or bad, everybody with business in Malacañang, especially with the president, recognized that if you passed Go, you Go to the president. On numerous occasions, some Cabinet members were caught unawares where the president was or about a decision that the president had made except for Bong Go. If Senator Bong Go ever needed a sideline, he should take a teaching position as a lecturer in public administration or governance and teach on: P.W.P.T – Power Without Position or Title.

To be fair, Go was only as effective as far as Duterte allowed it or was dependent on the arrangement. We all know how very particular PRRD was about getting ink on his hands, which was why he often said that he never put his signature on contracts unless it was absolutely necessary or required by law. In like manner, having an impenetrable “Gate Keeper” must have made life easier for the former president, especially with so many factions and vested interests, even relatives, currying for his favor back then.

The big difference with PRRD was the fact that his circle of trustees kept a healthy distance because they feared him as well. In the case of the younger President Bongbong Marcos, things are markedly different because his circle of trustees have a sense of political or personal entitlement, not to mention being “legends in their own minds,” as Clint Eastwood once said in a movie. Even the lowest ranked supporters assumed they were on equal footing with the executive secretary and were openly and fearlessly critical of him. In their minds, UNITY ALSO MEANT EQUALITY.

Just everyone who has written or spoken on the issue seems to agree that President Bongbong Marcos has to and must come out publicly on these matters: Does he support the executive secretary unwaveringly or is he in on the strategy that Vic Rodriguez step down to be Presidential Chief of Staff? Does Unity mean Equality in power and influence or does all the power grab end up in a drop box at the gates of Malacañang? Beyond the greed and power grab amongst Team Unity, PBBM must watch out that his own seat and administration is termite proof.

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President Bongbong Marcos is flying off to New York to take part in the 77th General Assembly of the United Nations right after doing his two official visits to Indonesia and Singapore. Clearly PBBM is trying to gain support and recognition as President and his government in the world stage. Given how the pandemic really limited the Duterte administration in face-to-face engagements, I can see the value in PBBM making his presence known and reminding the world that the Philippines continues to be a global participant, not to mention that such engagements generate opportunities among nations for cooperation.

But with ex-ES Vic Rodriguez caught up in the “family feud” in Malacañang, who is minding the store in terms of urgent concerns and programs among the different departments of government? Aside from TV clips and sound bytes at the CA hearings, little is known on what Cabinet members are doing to address inflation, food supplies, unemployment, etc. Now would be a good time to show the public what the government has been up to because replaying “The Sound of Silence” just doesn’t cut it.