May 22, 2025
MANILA – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has called for the courtesy resignation of all Cabinet secretaries to recalibrate his administration following the results of the recent elections.
“This is not business as usual,” the President said, as quoted in a press release from the Presidential News Desk on Thursday.
“The people have spoken, and they expect results — not politics, not excuses. We hear them, and we will act,” he added.
Marcos further said, “It’s time to realign government with the people’s expectations.”
READ: Marcos on erring officials: `I want to be respected but fear is better’
This bold move will give the President the space to assess each department’s performance and decide who will remain in line with his administration’s recalibrated priorities.
“This is not about personalities —it’s about performance, alignment, and urgency,” he said.
Marcos also assured that officials “who have delivered and continue to deliver will be recognized.”
He added, “But we cannot afford to be complacent. The time for comfort zones is over.”
According to the press release, this step signals a shift from the early phase of governance to one centered on performance and results.
Marcos emphasized that while many have served with dedication and professionalism, the evolving needs of the country require a renewed alignment, faster execution, and a results-first mindset.
Despite this, government services will remain uninterrupted during this transition. Stability, continuity, and meritocracy will also guide the formation of his leadership team moving forward.
Better to be feared than respected
In his first podcast uploaded on Monday, Marcos said he ideally wants to be respected but acknowledged that fear might be more effective as the country’s top leader.
“I want to be respected, but maybe fear is better,” Marcos said.
This statement referred to some government officials’ alleged disobedience and lack of fear to refrain from misconduct, which was attributed to Marcos’ “kindness.”
He noted that being stricter is necessary to overcome bureaucratic delays in long-term projects.
Filipinos are disappointed with government
In the same podcast, Marcos expressed a painful realization still in the aftermath of the elections: people are disappointed with government services.
Marcos said he focused too much on working on extensive government projects when he assumed office, which, as a result, took much longer to be felt by the masses.
“Nothing will happen in the Philippines. That’s as far as we’ll go. We won’t—we won’t rise. I said we need to change that. So I looked at the big, difficult projects that will have long-term effects—those are the ones we should work on,” he said.
“So, we worked on it. That’s why the projects we made a priority were big ones—tourism, health—all major projects. The problem with big projects, like transportation, for example, is that they really take time,” the President also said.
Marcos also concluded that voters are tired of politics, and it is now time to stop politicking and start paying attention to public service instead.
There is no information yet on what specifically triggered Marcos to order the courtesy resignation.