Dear BBM: Stop Protecting Your Cousin—Accountability Starts With You

Dear Ferdinand Marcos Jr.,

There comes a moment in every presidency when leadership is no longer measured by speeches or press releases—but by the willingness to confront uncomfortable truths.

This is one of those moments.

If there is one decisive action that can restore even a fraction of public trust in your administration, it is this: stop protecting your cousin.

Over the past three years, his political maneuvering has left visible scars on your government. What began as quiet influence has evolved into decisions that many Filipinos believe pushed your administration into a downward spiral—one driven not by national interest, but by personal ambition.

Public sentiment increasingly points to his involvement in the chain of events that fueled the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, the controversial handling of former President Rodrigo Duterte, and a series of strategic miscalculations that destabilized your political footing.

Whether every allegation is fair or not is beside the point.

What matters is perception—and right now, the perception is clear: you are paying the political cost for someone else’s ambition.

Protecting him no longer protects your presidency. It weakens it.

Leadership is not proven by loyalty to bloodline, but by accountability to the Filipino people. Shielding one individual at the expense of national credibility sends the wrong message at the worst possible time.

If you want Filipinos to believe that accountability still exists in government, the path is simple—though not easy.

Stop protecting him. Let him answer.

That is the first step toward accountability.
That is the first step toward restoring faith in your leadership.