PBBM's dream 'sit down' is with his father
Published Oct 6, 2025 08:03 pm
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (right) engages Manila Bulletin (MB) columnist and ‘The Sit Down’ host Philip Cu-Unjieng in a stimulating conversation as he shares his thoughts on the scandals, controversies, and calamities that the country had gone through recently. (PCO)
If President Marcos were to do his own sit down, he would choose his father, late Ferdinand Marcos Sr., as his guest.
Asked in an interview with The Manila Bulletin’s “The Sit Down” who he would choose to guest in a one-on-one interview, Marcos said he would still pick his father.
"I might creep people out, but I have long conversations with my father still," he said.
If given the chance, Marcos would ask him for advice as he was in the same position as he is now. The late president, he said, would be a valuable source of advice and ideas.
"I mean, I think, what did my dad do? It was a similar situation that I saw my father in. And what did he do? Yes. And if I asked him, Dad, what am I supposed to do? What would he say? Because I'm in government, and I'm president. And he was president," he said.
"That's a treasure trove of good advice right there. I tried to look back and see what you know of him. What would he say? How would he judge what you just did?," he added.
The young Marcos wondered what his father would think of his decisions. Would he tell him he made a mistake or would commend him.
The Chief Executive said that in taking the same path as his father, he had a general idea of what the job entailed—but not completely until he actually went through it himself.
"So, the one thing, since I became president, sometimes I hear in the back of my mind, like my father and some of his other political allies, sa generation niya: Oh, mahirap ano (in his generation: It's tough, isn't it?)," Marcos said.
"Well, I have the advantage of having watched my father being president at very, very close quarters. So, yes. You have a good idea, but you don't really know until you're there," he added.
The Sit Down is an in-depth interview video podcast that brings audiences closer to the most influential voices in the country and beyond. Episodes can be accessed via The Manila Bulletin's YouTube and Spotify channels.