In a few days, President Duterte will step down and Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will take his place as the 17th president of the Republic of the Philippines. He has appointed several members of his Cabinet, although there are positions yet to be filled. One such position is commissioner of the Bureau of Customs (BOC), an agency known for its rampant corruption. I don’t think there was ever a BOC commissioner who was not implicated or accused of corruption. Marcos would do well to choose a righteous man, if one truly exists.
A surprise move is Marcos' appointment of himself as secretary of the Dept. of Agriculture (DA). He said he did this because of the enormous problems beleaguering the DA that it warrants the attention of no less than the president himself. But several groups criticized this announcement citing Marcos’ inexperience in agriculture, among other reasons. It seems Marcos sees himself as an expert in agriculture, egging him to take two jobs, so to speak. The problem of the agriculture sector is enormous. Farmers and growers cannot compete with the prices of imported rice, vegetables, meat, poultry, and fish. They lose out on imported agricultural products, especially those smuggled in. One factor is the high cost of seeds, feeds, and fertilizer. How Marcos will tackle these issues is something to watch out for. Remember he promised ?20/kilo of rice, right?
Another issue is the unpaid real estate taxes of the Marcos Family which was one of the issues leveled at him during the campaign. He has appointed Lilia Guillermo as commissioner of the BIR. According to her, they will abide by the court's decision regarding the unpaid estate tax of the Marcos Family and will demand payment. That should be written in stone. The BIR of previous administrations did not achieve this or even try to demand payment even though the decision was handed down quite some time ago. This is a big challenge for the incoming BIR commissioner. Can she demand payment from the president of the Philippines?
The number of COVID cases is also increasing so the next administration may have to deal with this. Marcos has yet to appoint a DOH secretary and replace the controversial Francisco Duque. If Undersecretary Vergeire ends up as the new DOH secretary, she may be a good choice.
Marcos has yet to appoint someone to serve as his foreign minister. The secretary of the DFA will have to deal with a “friendly” China considering all the current issues. China seems to be showing its strength to Taiwan and at the same time sending a warning to the US. What will be the country's position if China invades Taiwan, and the US helps? We live in worrisome times brought about by the megalomaniac Vladimir Putin who cares little about people being killed or suffering, be it in Ukraine or in other parts of the world. Some countries have restricted exporting food for fear of a protracted war in Ukraine. This is how Putin shows his power to the world.
Peter the Great, right?