"Mr. President, what do you do every day?" This was the subject of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s 240th vlog post, giving the public a glance at the daily life of the country's leader. According to the President, the question was sent to his email by a child, and he thought it would be best to answer it through a video. "Matatawa ka dahil parang napakasimpleng tanong ngunit totoo nga naman (You may find it funny because it is a simple question but real at the same time)," Marcos said. "Siguro iilan lang ang mga tao na nakikita nila kung ano talaga ang ginagawa ng isang Presidente sa kanyang araw (Perhaps there are only a few people who see what the President does daily)," he added.

Health

Marcos said he starts his day by waking at around 6:30 a.m. He admitted that the first thing he does daily is to check his phone despite the general advice against it. "Ang unang ginagawa ko ay tinitingnan ko ang telepono ko. Ano ang bagong message, baka may nangyari na kailangang bigyan ng atensyon (The first thing I do is check my phone to see if there are new messages or if something happened that needed attention)," he explained. "Para makita lahat na kailangang gagawin sa araw na iyon (So that I will know what I needed to do for that day)," he added. The Chief Executive shared that he usually skips breakfast and has his first meal at lunchtime. He thinks this helps strengthen his body a lot. Marcos also said that he ensures that he has time to work out. He said this was the best "stress reliever" for him. "Kailangang maging matibay ang katawan dahil bawal magkasakit. Babagsak ka ng isang araw, malaking bagay na yun (You need to have a strong body because you can't afford to get sick. A day would be wasted and that's a big deal)," he said. The President said he also watches what he eats. This is not difficult for him because he said the diet of an Ilocano is just fish and vegetables.

Meetings

President Marcos said his days are filled with meetings where they talk about specific issues. They also discuss upcoming events, accomplishment reports, and performance audits. "Para makita kung talagang tumatakbo yung mga proyekto, yung mga programa na ating sinimulan (So that we can see if the projects we started are working as planned)," he said. "Kung nagkakaproblema, ano yung problemang yun para maayos natin (If there are problems, this gives us a chance to resolve them)," he added.

Diplomatic functions

Marcos said a big part of his schedule is related to diplomatic functions, citing the importance of building good relationship with friendly countries. "Ang Pilipinas naman ay kinakaibigan lahat. Wala tayong inaaway, wala tayong ginugulo (We befriend everybody. We don't fight or bother anyone)," he said.

Paperworks

President Marcos could not help but laugh when he talked about how he is drowned in paperworks daily. He estimated that he signs around 50 to 100 documents a day. Despite this large number, this is not a problem for Marcos, who said that no matter how thick a folder is, he makes sure to go over each and every one of them. "Kailangang basahin mo lahat para malaman mo lahat at pag-isipan nang mabuti bago pagdesisyunan (You need to read everything so that you will know everything and think carefully before making a decision)," he said.

Oath-taking

It has been nine months since he took office, but Marcos said he continues to administer the oath of office of his appointees. He claimed that he could do this in his sleep.

External events

President Marcos said he always sets a day for external events, such as the inauguration of government projects and the distribution of government assistance. Marcos said the Office of the President (OP) receives an average of 30 invitations daily. Even though he wanted to attend them all, his schedule limits him to accepting only a few. "Kahit 'yan lang ang gagawin ko, hindi ko na mapupuntahan lahat (Even though that's the only thing I will do, I can't go to all of them)," he said. With this, the President said he makes sure to record video messages to give importance to programs of government agencies that failed to secure his attendance at their event. Marcos added that he ensures to visit military camps to talk to soldiers to ensure they have what they need.

Flying like 'Top Gun'

President Marcos recalled how he rode a fighter jet last week. He said this was a memorable experience, and thought he was lucky because everyone who watched the Tom Cruise film "Top Gun" dreams of riding a fighter jet some day. "Swerte pa rin ang pagiging Pangulo nagagawa mo ang mga ganyang mga klaseng bagay na napapanaginipan mo lang noon (I'm lucky because when you're President, you're able to do the things that you've just dreamt of before)," he said"

Free time

President Marcos said he is glad to have a busy schedule because he knows he is not wasting time. "It's the only commodity that you cannot buy. It's the only commodity that you cannot bring back," he noted. "Kailangan talagang i-maximize ang iyong oras sa isang araw (You really need to maximize your time each day)," he added. With this, he said his only free time comes on Sundays because even his Saturdays are for set aside for appointments. Marcos said Sunday was "family time", wherein they hear Mass in Malacañang and have a small lunch. This helps him take his mind off things. According to the President, when he is faced with a complicated issue, he studies the problem and leaves it for a while. When he goes back to it, new ideas come to his mind. "Sa aking palagay effective yun. Nagamit ko pa rin yung free time sa trabaho (That's effective for me. I am able to use my free time for work)," he said.

Support

But having a busy schedule no longer comes as a shock to Marcos as he saw the same routine during his father's time. He said he learned from his namesake father to choose carefully what he did daily. "Kailangan efficient ang working habits mo. Walang sayang na oras. Wala kang ginagawa na walang katuturan (You need to have efficient working habits wherein no time would be wasted. You will do nothing that is senseless)," he said. "Yun ang pinakamahirap siguro sa paggawa ng schedule ng isang Pangulo-- kung paano mag-prioritize (That's the most difficult part of making the President's schedule-- how to prioritize)," he added. President Marcos underscores that he gets by with the support of his staff and, most of all, his family.