'TOL VIEWS
Senator Francis N. Tolentino
As of date, the partial and unofficial results from the Commission on Elections (Comelec)’s transparency server reflect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. as the presumptive president of our Republic, with a whopping 31 million votes. This accounts for nearly 59 percent of the votes unofficially counted as of date.
Despite clamors from some sectors, including a prayer for a restraining order to stop the canvassing of votes for Marcos, Jr., international leaders are starting to recognize his landslide victory. Congratulatory messages were sent from leaders of countries such as the US, China, Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia, and South Korea.
Of note are the two competing superpowers – US and China.
It was reported on May 11, 2022 that the US President, Joe Biden, Jr., called Marcos, Jr. to congratulate him for winning the recent election. President Biden emphasized the need to strengthen the Philippines-US alliance and expand bilateral cooperation on a wide range of issues.
Meanwhile, China, through President Xi Jinping, sent a congratulatory letter to our presumptive president, expressing the willingness to work with the next Philippine government to deepen bilateral relations between the two nations. He stressed that he sees a brighter future for Philippine-China relations.
While it is a feat to be elected by a vast majority – considerably “one of the strongest mandates for a Philippine president in decades” – would our presumptive president also find the perfect balance of harmonious relations between these two competing superpowers?
Pending his inauguration, rumors of the presumptive president choice of members of his executive department have been circulating. His appointed, as policy administrators, would certainly dictate the way the country is run and the trajectory by which the country grows.
Under the 1987 Constitution, the president shall nominate and, with the consent of the Commission of Appointments, appoint the heads of the executive departments, ambassadors, other public minister and consuls, or officers of the armed forces from the rank of colonel or naval captain, and other officers whose appointments are vested in him in the Constitution. He shall also appoint all other officers of the government whose appointments are not otherwise provided for by law, and those whom he may be authorized by law to appoint.
This appointing power vested in the president has, as its aim, a cohesive government where the different departments of the government work or fit together well. In principle, it relies on the trust that a president has on his or her appointed – a trust that is accompanied by a common vision for the country and perhaps similar values in public service.
With 31 million standing behind our presumptive president and the warm welcome of the international community, the incoming administration is set to a good start.