“Marcos’ cabinet reshuffle is nothing but a grand show, and the masses are not amused.” This was the statement of Marco L. Valbuena, Chief Information Officer of the Communist Party of the Philippines, in reaction to Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s move to ask for courtesy resginations from all members of his cabinet, supposedly to make his government more effective.
“This spectacle by Marcos is far removed from the growling stomachs of the masses,” Valbuena said.
“This move cannot cover up the widespread failures of his government to address the most basic needs of the people,” Valbuena added. Marcos himself admitted that the weaknesses of his regime were “reflected” in the defeat of many of his candidates in the recently concluded elections.
“Even if Marcos reshuffles his cabinet every month, he cannot stop his regime’s growing isolation from the people,” Valbuena continued.
“The masses cannot expect any meaningful change, especially in their livelihoods,” Valbuena said. “Marcos did not even replace the pro-imperialist technocrats who make up his ‘economic team’—the very ones responsible for high rice prices and low farmgate prices of local palay (unmilled rice).”
He further added, “This same ‘economic team’ is the strongest opponent of wage increases for workers, and resists investing in local agriculture and industry, while scrambling to give incentives and advantages to big bourgeoisie and foreign companies.”
“The attention-grabbing but shallow reshuffling at the top of the bureaucracy cannot cover up the severe crisis caused by his own policies.”
The CPP pointed out that Marcos has no genuine program to solve the fundamental problems of the people regarding food, jobs, livelihood, and rights. In fact, he refuses to raise workers’ wages, stop the unrestrained importation of rice and food products, lower the prices of petroleum and basic goods, as well as reduce fees for services and public utilities.
“Just like his gimmicks—₱20/kilo rice for a select few, four days of free rides on MRT/LRT, and other flashy stunts to boost survey ratings—these short-term and superficial solutions will only isolate further the regime,” Valbuena said.
According to Valbuena, the public should be vigilant about the reshuffling of the cabinet, as it is being done for Marcos’ political arrangements at the behest of his imperialist US patrons.
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