The President who has not fully settled in the presidential chair has been the recipient of bashings from his usual detractors. His critics as well are nitpicking on some of his official actions and decisions.

They have been badgering him with nonsensical commentaries. They have developed a nasty habit of finding fault in everything he does or doesn't, or in anything he says or unsays.

For instance, when he went to Singapore at the invitation of the Prime Minister to watch the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix, officially known as the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix 2022, he was severely criticized for spending taxpayers' money on what the critics described as a personal entertainment trip.

In his defense, a member of his Cabinet and other allies justified his travel as his personal time, which they said he is entitled to. This columnist opined that there is no such animal as personal time when one is the President of the Republic of the Philippines. He argued that he is President 24 hours a day for the rest of the six-year term. Necessarily, all his actions and trips, whether here or abroad, are on official time. Given that his prime duty under the Constitution is to serve and protect the Filipino, it becomes imperative that the resources of the state be given to him so that he may perform his presidential duties efficiently and effectively, more so if he is abroad because he carries with him the face and honor of the Filipino nation.

When he named himself concurrently the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, the nitpickers pounced on him. They refuse to accept his reasoning that the agricultural department is vital to the production and delivery of food supply, and he is making himself directly responsible for the food output. As the President himself puts it:

"It's important that the president take that portfolio not only to make it clear to everyone what high priority we put to the agricultural sector, but also as a practical matter so that things move quickly."

When he declined to name a full-pledged Secretary of Agriculture following the sugar fiasco, saying that he is not inclined to relinquish his concurrent position because the current problems in the agriculture sector are "so difficult". According to him, "There are things that the President can do that a Secretary cannot, especially because the problems are so difficult it would take a President to change and to turn it around." His fault finders say his justification is unacceptable.

When he appointed the former PNP Chief, Camilo Cascolan, as Undersecretary of the Department of Health, he was not spared with sarcastic criticisms from the same whiners, forgetting that his designation was for special concerns, e.g. downsizing the bureaucracy in the department, streamlining the procedures in servicing the people, and other management matters, of which he had a wealth of experience of, having managed a huge organization like the Philippine National Police, not to mention his having an academic background in public administration.

At the height of the rampaging tropical storm "Paeng", when he held a virtual briefing with the government officials directly involved in the government's disaster responses, he was again subjected to unsavory remarks, as if his virtual presence is less effective than his conduct of a face-to-face meeting. Worse, when he was not visible last Sunday, they concluded that the reason why he was doing a zoom conference on Saturday and was not visible the whole Sunday was that he was in Hokkaido, Japan. On Sunday afternoon, the hashtag "NasaanAngPaangulo" — or "Where is the President? — was trending on Twitter.

The detractors pummeled him with insinuations of not being in the country as tropical storm "Paeng" relentlessly slammed the four regions of the country. They falsely criticized him as a leader missing amid a crisis. The truth of the matter was he was working quietly, directing operations, and mobilizing the entire government machinery to respond to the emergencies brought about by the natural disaster. Unlike publicity-hungry politicians, he does his job without fanfare.

The burden of the presidency is heavily laden, and as former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte aptly describes it: "It's such a thankless job." Let us not add to the load by unthinkingly and mercilessly looking for faults and putting malice when there is none.

Let him tread the presidential path undistracted by false and malicious narratives. Let him hurdle the gauntlet. Let him deliver in his own judicious time. For now, no bitchy brickbats nor undeserved hosannas.