Talaga? “Overworked” si BBM. Overworked doing what—results, or optics?
Because when a President is truly “overworked” in the right direction, the national meters start stabilizing and you feel it on the ground: mas may trabaho, mas may presyo na kaya, mas may tiwala, mas may safety net. Pero kung ang dashboards hindi gumagalaw, or worse nagbe-blink red, then we’re not watching sacrifice. We’re watching misdirection.
Being busy is not the same as being effective. Kung ang trabaho ay mostly crisis management, narrative defense, at damage control—you can be exhausted every day and still have a country that’s drifting.
HERE’S THE DASHBOARD REALITY:
1) DEBT & FISCAL PRESSURE (RED LIGHT)
As of end-September 2025, National Government debt was reported at ₱17.46 trillion. Ibig sabihin, malaking bahagi ng budget napupunta sa interest at refinancing, imbes na classrooms, rural health, farm-to-market, at real job creation.
Kapag ang debt pressure mataas, mas mahirap gumalaw ang gobyerno kapag may bagyo, baha, o biglaang presyo ng pagkain.
Yung “programa,” madalas nagiging patchwork: ayuda ngayon, utang ulit bukas. Tapos sa dulo, tayo pa rin ang tatamaan ng mataas ang bilihin, mababa ang sahod.
2) GROWTH MOMENTUM (COOLING)
When growth slows, it doesn’t look like “recession” agad. It looks like this:
• “Hiring freeze” na parang normal na lang.
• “Contractual ulit” instead of regularization.
• OT ka na nga, di pa rin kasya.
• MSMEs: “Close muna. Next year na lang.”
• Yung mga graduate, may degree pero underpaid; yung iba, napipilitang mangibangbansa na lang.
3) CURRENCY SIGNAL (CONFIDENCE THERMOMETER)
A weaker peso is not just a number. It’s a price multiplier. Dahil kapag mahina ang piso, mas ramdam natin ang:
• pagmahal ng gasolina (domino effect: pamasahe, delivery, pagkain)
• pagmahal ng food inputs (feeds, fertilizer, packaging)
• at mas mahal ang gamot at imported supplies
At pag tumaas ulit ang inflation risk, tataas ang rates, so mas masakit ang loan, mas hirap ang negosyo.
4) INVESTOR CONFIDENCE (HARD VOTE OF THE MARKET)
Publicly reported BSP/market coverage in 2025 included periods of weakening net FDI year-on-year.
FDI is not “support.” It’s real money choosing if the Philippines is investable. When it weakens, ang kasunod niyan ay fewer expansions, fewer quality jobs, more “gig economy survival”, more OFW dependence. At pag nagkagulo, unang tinatamaan ang ordinary workers, not the insulated.
5) GOVERNANCE & LEGITIMACY BAROMETER (SURVEY RESULTS, NOT VIBES)
Trust is an economic indicator too. Once legitimacy erodes, every policy becomes harder, every scandal becomes heavier, every promise sounds like spin.
Heto ang latest survey results kay BBM:
• 55% disapprove
• 62% low/no trust
• 45% anti-admin
• 48% believe BBM is involved/benefited in corruption/anomalous insertions
• 68% in favor of impeachment ni BBM
People are not just tired. They are losing confidence. The bigger issue: governance barometers become daily pain.
Low trust isn’t abstract. It shows up as:
(CORRUPTION)
• Baha taun-taon? People don’t just blame rain. They ask: “Saan napunta flood control?”
• Projects that look “tapos” on paper but fail on the ground kaya disaster management becomes theater.
• When corruption is perceived as normal, citizens shift from hope to resignation. Kaya lagi nating naririnig sa mga Pilipino, “Wala naman mangyayari.”
At ito ang hindi inaamin ng mga nasa pwesto: economic weakness is bad enough, but weakness plus corruption is deadly. Kasi every peso wasted is a peso not spent on things that reduce suffering.
(HUNGER AND LOW WAGES)
• Kapag ang sweldo gumagapang at ang presyo mabilis tumaas, that’s policy and accountability gap.
• Gutom is also a meter. When people skip meals, the government is failing its basic job.
(EDUCATION DECLINE)
• Pag classrooms siksikan, teachers overloaded, students falling behind. Ang epekto nito hindi agad halata, pero it becomes national weakness: low productivity, low innovation, low mobility. And when education breaks, the country doesn’t just get poorer. It gets more manipulable.
(ADDICTION, CRIME, AND MENTAL HEALTH)
• Addiction and crime spikes aren’t just “bad people.” They often track desperation plus weak systems.
• Kapag walang trabaho, walang support, walang justice that people trust—some break, some numb out, some lash out. That’s why “peace and order” campaigns don’t work if the economy and accountability are bleeding.
SO WHAT DOES “OVERWORKED” MEAN HERE?
If the President is “overworking” but the country’s lived experience keeps deteriorating, napapatanong ka na lang:
• Overworked on system repair or overworked on narrative packaging?
• Overworked on accountability or overworked on optics?
• Overworked protecting the people or overworked protecting the position?
Because the Philippines cannot afford a fatigued presidency that produces press releases while ordinary families produce receipts: grocery bills, hospital bills, loan bills, tuition gaps, flood damage, broken roads, lost jobs.
Leadership is not measured by pagod. It’s measured by direction and results.
So if his health is suffering, and the country’s dashboards are suffering too, the public has every right to ask: If the best you can offer is exhaustion without outcomes, why keep holding the wheel?
Because a busy-but-ineffective presidency is still a presidency that costs the nation—quietly, daily, and brutally.
So maybe the best service he can render is the simplest one: Resign. Take the rest. Let someone capable do the job.
Kasi kung overworked ka na nga, tapos wala pa ring results—that’s not sacrifice. That’s national stagnation.
•••
OPINION | ROB RANCES
Disclaimer: This commentary expresses my personal views and interpretations of publicly available data and reporting. Any references to “corruption,” “abuse,” or “ineffectiveness” are matters of public-policy critique, not a judicial determination. Readers are encouraged to review primary sources and exercise independent judgment.
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