PBBM on father’s legacy: You don’t really know till you’re there

By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos, Philippine News Agency

Marcos said his father would have told him it was “hard” to serve as the country’s chief executive, advice he “sometimes (hears) in the back of (his) mind.” (Bongbong Marcos/facebook)

MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has reflected on the lessons he learned from the presidency of his father, the late president Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., saying the guidance of his patriarch helped shape his own brand of leadership.

In the fifth episode of his podcast, aired Tuesday, Marcos said that if given the choice, he would have sought his father’s advice to guide him in leading the country.

Marcos made the statement when asked about the person he wanted to have as a “guest” in his own sit-down interview.

“I might creep people out, but I have long conversations with my father still. Okay. I mean, I think, what did my dad do?

It was a similar situation that I saw my father in. And what did he do? And if I asked him, ‘Dad, what am I supposed to do?’ What would he say? Because I’m in government. And I’m president,” he said.

“And he was president. That’s a treasure trove of good advice right there. I try to look back and see what you know of him. What would he say? How would he judge what you just did? ‘Anak, mali iyan,’ o ‘Anak, very good.’ (‘Son, that’s wrong,’ or ‘Son, very good’). Or whatever, you know.”

Marcos said his father would have told him it was “hard” to serve as the country’s chief executive, advice he “sometimes (hears) in the back of (his) mind.”

He, nevertheless, considered himself fortunate to have witnessed his father’s legacy.

No one can fully understand what it means to be president until they assume the role, he added.

“Well, I have the advantage of having watched my father being president at very, very close quarters.

So, yes, you have a good idea. But you don’t really know until you’re there,” Marcos said.