Marcos sets bar he has not met?

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday outlined what he wants in the country’s next leader, describing a competent and reform-minded “nation-builder,” even as some observers pointed out the profile does not necessarily reflect his own governance

Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace press officer Claire Castro said the President believes the country needs a leader whose qualifications go beyond patriotism and slogans, particularly as the nation looks ahead to the 2028 presidential election.

“Someone who has love for the country is needed, but love for the country is not enough,” Castro said in Filipino. “What is needed is competence to lead—the wit and the capacity to resolve problems in education and to equip Filipinos with knowledge and skills.”

Castro said Marcos believes the next president must be able to push structural reforms to make the Philippines more attractive to investors while strengthening education, healthcare, and social services.

She said the future leadership should move beyond rhetoric and focus on tangible results, stressing the importance of integrity, competence, and a genuine commitment to nation-building.

“In other words, the next Philippine leader should be a nation-builder, not pretentious,” Castro said.

Political analysts and legal observers, however, have questioned if the standards laid out by Marcos apply to his own administration, pointing to recent political and legal developments that have fueled debate over his leadership.

Collapse of alliance

Among these is the effective collapse of the so-called UniTeam alliance that carried Marcos and Vice President Sara Duterte to victory in 2022.

The alliance has since unraveled amid an open political rift, with Duterte distancing herself from the administration and signaling her own presidential ambition in 2028.

Critics have also cited Marcos’s decision to allow the arrest and transfer of former President Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands, where he faces charges in connection with his bloody war on drugs.

Some legal experts have described the move of Marcos as a singular assault on Philippine sovereignty, arguing that it undermined the country’s longstanding position rejecting the ICC’s jurisdiction.

Supporters of the President, however, have defended the decision as a commitment to the rule of law and accountability, saying it reflects Marcos’s desire to restore credibility to Philippine institutions.

Castro did not directly address those criticisms but said the President believes that without the right leadership, the gains made by his administration could be lost.

“The President believes that if the next leader does not have these attributes, all the hard work of the government for the people will go to waste,” she said.

Call on Leni

On Saturday, 21 February, Marcos went to Naga City to meet with Mayor Leni Robredo and inspect flood control projects. The popular Robredo was Marcos’s rival in the 2022 elections. The visit was seen by some as an attempt by Marcos to convince Robredo to run again in 2028 against Vice President Sara Duterte.

On Monday, 23 February, Robredo returned the visit and turned up at Malacañang.

During the ASEAN Editors and Economic Opinion Leaders Forum held this week in Makati City, Marcos said he would prefer the next president to be someone who understands economics, pointing out that growth depends on productivity.

He said the next leader should also know how to generate jobs, keep inflation under control, and ensure a stable food supply, issues that have been central to his administration’s economic messaging. Robredo is an economist by training.

Castro stressed that despite the discussions about succession, the President has not picked an administration standard-bearer but remains focused on managing the economy and addressing governance challenges.

So far, only Vice President Duterte has publicly declared her intention to run for president in 2028, with other potential contenders remaining noncommittal as political maneuvering ahead of the race slowly gathers pace.