President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. presides during a sectoral meeting in Malacañang Palace on Tuesday, April 18, 2023. KJ Rosales, PPA pool
MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Monday said he has so far been productive on scheduling his priorities as the country's leader, noting that it was just a matter of choosing what he should focus on.
In an interview with former Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo and broadcast journalist Nina Corpuz, Marcos said he must devote his time to the "most immediate concerns" but decisions on these must not be rushed.
"Yung prioritization kailangan mo talaga mamili kung ano ang uunahin mo dahil kung hindi, marami kang ginagawa na naiiwanan," the President said.
(Prioritization is about choosing which should come first, or else you will fall behind.)
"Kailangan umagang-umaga pa na alam mo na ‘yung pangyayari, ano ‘yung mga bagong development, pati ‘yung sa abroad, para malaman mo kung ano ‘yung mga kailangan pag-isipan, kailangan pag-usapan, kailangan pagmitingan," he added.
"‘Yun ang ating ginagawa ngayon. So, so far naman, may pagka-efficient."
(In the morning, you should already know what happened and what the latest developments are -- even if these were in abroad. This is so you could know which ones needed to be thought of, discussed on, which ones warrant a meeting. That is what we are doing now and so far, we are efficient.)
He admitted, however, that some issues could not be addressed immediately as he needed to know all the information and details before giving an order.
The effects of his economic policies for example, he said, would take a "little more time" to see since the government has been making "structural reforms" at the moment.
"Ang pinaka-problema, kung minsan, hindi mo naman puwede -- halimbawa yung mga importanteng bagay, hindi mo naman puwedeng madaliin. Hindi mo puwedeng sabihin na 'sige, bilis na, tama na,'" he added.
"Kasi kung hindi, kung magkamali ka ng desisyon, naapektuhan milyon na tao eh. Kaya’t hindi ka dapat magkamali talaga. You have to be very, very conscious and very, very sensitive about the needs of everyone," said Marcos.
(The problem is sometimes, even with the important matters, you cannot decide on these immediately and rush it. You cannot say, 'okay enough.' If you make a bad decision, millions will be affected. This is why you should not make mistakes.)
Through his recent vlog, the President gave a sneak peek of what he does in Malacañang on a daily basis.
A chunk of a President’s time goes to meeting diplomats and welcoming them in Malacañang, Marcos said.
There also needs to be a separate time to record video messages which the Palace would send to events which the President cannot physically attend, he said.
The hectic schedule of a President did not come as a surprise, he added, noting that he is taking a cue from what his father and namesake did during the patriarch’s own tenure in Malacañang.
Video from Radyo Pilipinas 1