President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. offered a rare look into how his father’s presidency shaped his own approach to leadership, saying two decades of watching Ferdinand Marcos Sr. govern taught him early how heavy the job would be “I have a huge advantage because my father was president. So for 20 years, I watched him. I knew how difficult this job is,” Marcos said in Filipino in an episode of his BBM podcast.

He said those years taught him the value of pacing himself, managing stress, and keeping a clear mind —disciplines he now applies in office.

At first, he said, he resisted taking breaks because of the workload, but eventually realized that rest was necessary. 

“When you start getting tired, your thinking isn’t as clear. Or you’re not as fast,” he said.

Asked what drives him, Marcos said public service requires constant effort. 

“I’m here to serve. I’m not here for myself. Keep working, keep working. It’s not enough. Work won’t end,” he said, admitting that sleep is one of the sacrifices demanded by the office.

On whether he ever wished he belonged to another family, the President answered decisively: “Absolutely not.” 

He described himself as “the luckiest person I know,” crediting his parents and the experiences he has lived through. 

He recalled initially resisting going into politics, preferring a quiet life after his business studies, but he said circumstances pulled him into public service — a decision he no longer regrets.

Marcos also discussed fatherhood, saying he follows the example set by Marcos Sr. more than formal instruction. “You teach by example… there are no formal lessons. I just watched what he did,” he said.

Pressed on whether he would have governed differently from his father, Marcos said circumstances have changed. 

“You shouldn’t be doing the same things as you were doing in 1975 or 1980. This is a different world,” he said, noting that his administration emphasizes innovation and “thinking out of the box” to push structural reforms.

He shared what he considers the most enduring lesson from Marcos Sr.: “Don’t stop. If you believe in something you’re doing for the country, do not stop. You will have to sacrifice. You will fail. You have to stand up again.”

Marcos said he sometimes catches himself reacting to situations the same way his father once did, a sign of how deeply those lessons run.

He closed by expressing the hope that future administrations will carry forward the reforms his administration has begun. “Even if I’m no longer here, I hope the changes we’ve started will continue.”