Going into this second month of the term of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., there are already a lot of goodwill being diminished and wasted.
It is alarming to say the least, and untimely at that, considering the many issues and concerns that needed presidential imprimatur and action right away.
This brouhaha over this sugar importation is just one more red flag of Executive indecisiveness that is now hurting the President. This is a very sensitive issue now that will be exploited to the hilt by his critics, if only to weaken his leadership.
Right now, this issue is about to implode, and there will be catastrophic consequences in the sugar market, which will eventually trickle to our daily life as consumers.
And if this is not resolved to the satisfaction of all sugar stakeholders, it will really be a serious blow to BBM’s presidency.
I hate to say this but President BBM needs to flex more iron will now. At this point, he has to really rein in his Cabinet, most especially his inner circle, and be more imposing, rather than being benevolent.
Right now, PBBM needs to deploy a shock and awe move that would be so impactful that everybody under him would have no other choice but to toe the line.
And if heads really need to roll, they have to be rolling their way out of Malacañang now. PBBM does not have the luxury of time, and he cannot afford to quiver and waver, less he loses critical trust and satisfaction ratings, to the detriment of his leadership.
It is better to implode this early and reset the course in the right frame and direction, with the right people behind him.
Otherwise, he will lose a lot of political capital, which will make it more difficult for him to navigate his presidency.
Mark my word.