President Marcos reminded government officials that they are all “on probation,” saying his administration will no longer tolerate a “business-as-usual” mindset that has long plagued public service delivery in the country.

In the second episode of his weekly podcast, the President stressed the need for results-driven leadership, saying every official is expected to meet targets, not just for legacy infrastructure projects but even for everyday public services.

“We will be very, very conscientious of hitting our targets on time, and that’s the important thing,” he said in the June 16 podcast episode titled “Governance and Accountability.”

According to Marcos, the “business-as-usual” mindset led the country nowhere.

“Ayoko talaga yung ‘business as usual’ kasi ang dami nating problema; naging problema ‘yan kasi ‘business as usual’ tayo nang katagal-tagal (I really don’t like‘business as usual’ because we have so many problems; they became problems precisely because we’ve been ‘business as usual’ for so long),” he said.

“Ilang dekada tayong ‘business as usual.’ Eh anong nangyari sa atin (We’ve been like this for decades. And what did it get us)?,” he added.

The President said that failure to meet expectations will have consequences, noting that results, not relationships, will be the basis of accountability moving forward.

“Kahit kaibigan kita, mahal kita at lahat, pero hindi mo nagagawa ‘yung trabaho (Even if we’re friends, I care about you and all that—but if you’re not doing your job)… get out of the way so I can do my job,” he said.

President Marcos said part of the governance reset includes personally inspecting public facilities and projects to see if reports match reality. He explained that while reports may appear complete and polished, only on-the-ground visits can confirm their accuracy.

“Makatanggap ka ng report, na sasabihin, natapos namin yung project, ganito yung ginastos namin, may picture na maganda. Pero pag pinuntahan mo, iba. Iba talaga (You receive a report… it has nice photos. But when you visit the site, it’s different. It’s really different),” he said.

He cited past experiences where official reports painted a misleading picture, which prompted him to verify them himself.

“Marami na (Many times),” he said when asked if there had been instances of misleading reports sent to his office.

“So it's still important to go and see things for yourself,” he added.

The President added that feedback from ordinary citizens, such as complaints about long hospital queues or broken public infrastructure, now also factors into his governance approach.

Marcos likened his leadership approach to the military, saying discipline and performance will be strictly enforced. He said excuses will no longer be accepted, especially for agencies and officials who fail to deliver.

“In the military, kapag sinasabi, ‘Eto yung gagawin mo.’ Pag hindi mo nagawa (when you’re told to do this and you didn’t)—Out. Relieved. Next. And that’s what we should do,” he said.

“Hindi mo pala kaya, sige palitan kita. Hanap tayo ng mas magaling (You can’t do it, I’ll replace you. I’ll look for someone better),” he added.

The President reiterated that those who cannot contribute to his administration’s goals should step aside.

“Whatever ‘get out of the way’ means—you're fired or ifu-floating ka, o ililipat ka sa ibang part of the government (you’ll be floated, or transferred to another post),” he said.

“Whatever it is, just get out of the way so I can do my job,” he added.

Marcos reiterated that many officials had already been replaced due to poor performance in the first three years of his term. However, not all of these were made public.

Beyond flagship programs, the President said attention to small, everyday issues will define this new governance style.

He pointed to basic concerns such as missing trash bins, broken escalators, or public staircases that pose safety risks.

“Hindi lang ‘yung legacy project ang tinitingnan natin… dapat pag naglalakad ka, may nakita kang walang basurahan dito, dapat lagyan ng basurahan (We should not just look at legacy projects. When you’re walking and see there’s no trash can, then we should put one),” he said.

Marcos also mentioned his inspection of the San Juanico Bridge, where locals reportedly waited up to three days just to cross.

“Those are the things that we still have to pay attention to, and that’s every day,” he said.

“Hindi mo puwedeng sabihin, ‘Oh, naayos ko na,’ tapos iiwanan mo (You cannot just say it’s finished and leave it),” he added.