Bongbong says being feared better than merely respected

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has expressed frustration over the things he can and cannot control — in his first ever podcast with broadcaster Anthony Taberna.

Halfway through his term as President, Marcos took a look at what his administration has accomplished compared to its goals.

He compared his leadership to that of his friends who are company executives.

“I was teasing my wealthy friends, the big tycoons. I said, ‘I envy you because even though your corporation is so big, the one you control, when the CEO — the boss — gives an order, it’s done,’” he said.

“When I give an order, I still have to convince many people. Here in the government, when you have a new initiative or idea, of course you bring it to the rank and file, right? So they can implement it. But the response that always comes back is, ‘Sir, that’s not possible. We might get flagged by CoA (Commission on Audit). Maybe later...’”

He said he agreed with the observation of his subordinates that some laws and policies contradict each other.

“Everyone is too cautious—which is okay. It’s okay to have checks and balances. But don’t let it paralyze the bureaucracy,” he said.

Marcos shared that at one point he wanted to show more assertiveness to prove that he was not just “kind.”

“A lot of people have been saying that to me. What should I do? Be a bad person? I cannot change my attitude,” he said.

“But you know, maybe I really should be more aggressive because services need to be more efficient—they should be delivered faster,” he added.

‘Be feared or be respected’

Reflecting on himself as a person and leader, Marcos was asked by Taberna if he wanted to be feared or respected.

“I want to be respected, but maybe fear is better,” he said.

He said he will be ramping up anti-corruption initiatives within the government, including requiring a performance review.

He revealed that some government officials had been removed from office after being proven guilty of wrongdoing.

“In the past two, three years, as long as we had a validated report, they were out. We don’t announce it, but they’ve been removed, usually. There have been many. But we don’t talk about it anymore because it just causes more trouble. Just leave. If not, we’ll file charges. I’ll have you jailed. Just leave,” he said.

Previously, Marcos ordered a performance review of his Cabinet in an effort to streamline the delivery of services.

When asked if he would be removing Cabinet members soon, he said it was possible.

“If someone is really lacking or corrupt—if their wrongdoing is really serious—then we will file charges. Let’s see what the result of this performance review will be,” he said.