Senate President Juan Miguel 'Migz' Zubiri on Wednesday, Oct. 4, said President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. should "crack the whip" and or "replace" the "poorly performing" members of his cabinet.
"Kung ako ang tatanungin ninyo, ang suggestion ko sa Pangulo is to crack the whip with his Cabinet, lalo na 'yung poorly performing members of the cabinet, na imbes na tumulong, ay lalong napiperwisyo ang Pangulo," he told reporters in an interview in Senate.
Zubiri made the unsolicited suggestion as he believed that there are cabinet officials who are not working hard to curb the skyrocketing inflation in the country.
The inflation or rising prices of goods and services were among the reasons that caused the two-digit drop in Marcos' approval rating from 65 percent in June to 84 percent in September, according to Pulse Asia's third quarter survey released on Monday, Oct. 2.
"They were supposed to try trace and track why there is an overpricing? Bakit nagkakaroon ng hoarding? Bakit wala pang nahuhuling horders? Bakit wala pang napapagalitan na price manipulator sa market side? These are the questions that the President can asks his cabinet," the Senate President said.
He added that those who are not performing in the standards "should be replaced."
Zubiri refused to name the Cabinet officials he had in mind, but said there are three to four secretaries from different government departments.
"Again, we need to crack the whip. Dapat may mapapalitan tayo na opisyales na sa tingin ko ay 'di gumagalaw, 'di umaaksyon at walang empathy sa taong bayan. Kulang ang pagmamahal nitong mga government agencies sa taong bayan," the Senate President said.
He furthered that the latest Pulse Asia poll was a "wake-up" call for the President.
Marcos had said that he was "not surprised" by the drop in his performance ratings for the month of September, adding that he "completely understand" the sentiments of the public.
