Lacson: Marcos needs an ‘enforcer’; kindness not enough
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. — Screengrab from a video posted on his Facebook page.
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. should assign an “enforcer” in his Cabinet to promote good governance, especially in his remaining three years as chief executive, Senator-elect Panfilo Lacson said Tuesday.
Lacson’s offer of what he called “unsolicited advice” came after Marcos expressed willingness to make peace with the Dutertes for the sake of better governance.
According to Lacson, Marcos’ willingness to reconcile with the Dutertes reflects his “kindness” and the “goodness of his heart,” but he noted that this trait is often misinterpreted as a sign of “weakness.”
READ: Does Marcos want to make peace with Dutertes? ‘Yes, I don’t like conflicts’
“Unsolicited advice coming from someone who probably has had a longer experience. I think it’s difficult to change that quality of his … that’s really just who he is; he’s not confrontational, adversarial, or combative. I would suggest, unsolicited as it is, in order to support his governance, I think he needs a strong but well-intentioned enforcer in his Cabinet,” Lacson said in an interview over Radyo 630.
Moreover, he described such a person as a whip-cracker.
“Someone who is capable of making government officials, including Congress, toe the line toward good governance,” he added.
Lacson also said three years is enough time for Marcos to implement the necessary changes to ensure good governance.
“Because it can’t be all goodness and kindness—people you work with have different personalities,” the senator-elect said.
“There will be some who think, ‘No, we can handle this because he’s too kind.’ That’s just something I can suggest, based on my experience in leadership at the Philippine National Police (PNP),” he added.
Drawing from his experience as a former PNP chief, Lacson said that when one cannot be both feared and loved, it is sometimes better to be feared to lead more effectively.
Asked whether he had anyone in mind to serve as Marcos’ enforcer, Lacson said he had no particular individual to recommend./mcm/abc
