President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. affirmed that public opinion surveys do not dictate his administration’s policy direction or influence his decision-making process.
Speaking at a presidential luncheon organized by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines at the Diamond Hotel Philippines in Manila, the Chief Executive emphasized that his policy choices are guided solely by what he considers beneficial for the nation.
”And a survey doesn’t really come into it because it does not determine the rightness or wrongness of what I’m trying to do or what my government is trying to do,” Marcos said.
The President reiterated that survey metrics do not lead him to alter his course of action.
”I don’t change my decision because of the survey. I don’t change direction because of the survey. I take a decision because what I feel is the proper decision to make,” he added.
While acknowledging that his background as a politician leads him to check survey findings, Marcos maintained that such numbers hold minimal weight over his executive responsibilities.
He pointed out that survey results “do not make any difference to [me].”
”Of course, you care. You’re a politician. But only to a very small extent. If your numbers aren’t good, I wish they were better. If your numbers are good, then you said great. But once that stays in my mind maybe for a minute or two, then I get back to work after that,” the President said.
Looking ahead toward the end of his presidential term in 2028, Marcos shared that rebuilding public confidence in governance and fostering a spirit of nation-building stand as his priority goals.
Addressing queries about his intended legacy, Marcos noted that he seldom dwells on the subject, preferring to concentrate on cultivating an administration that citizens can consistently rely on.
”Legacy is when you die. I just hope we will put the faith of people back in government, and that we now have a government that people can depend on, people can trust, and that people can talk to,” Marcos said.
He highlighted that governance must focus on listening to the electorate rather than imposing directives. Furthermore, Marcos pointed to local government units as essential partners of the national leadership, highlighting their unique capability to understand local community needs and resolve ground-level problems.
”That will make government more accessible, not only in terms of transparency, but accessible in terms of we can bring our concerns to government. And we have enough confidence that they will in fact do something about it,” Marcos said.