EFFORTS to bring down Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez have proven to be futile as he is still the ‘Little President’ in Malacanang.

Contrary to speculations that Rodriguez would be gone even before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. could deliver his State of the Nation Address, Rodriguez was very much present in the highly relevant ceremony in Batasan where only key state executives and guests were invited.

Outgoing government officials are normally discouraged from attending official affairs such as the SONA. But Rodriguez – the alter ego of Marcos – was in the special event for duty call.

Power-hungry adversaries of the Executive Secretary must have thought their smear drive against him could soon render his position vacant and ripe for their picking.

Possessing so much power, Rodriguez is the head and highest-ranking official of the Office of the President. He is also a member of the Cabinet. The Executive Secretary has been nicknamed as the “Little President” due to the nature of the position.

Rodriguez was given the mandate to directly assist the President in the management of affairs of the government as well as to direct the operations of the Executive Office.

The Executive Secretary can issue orders in the name of the President, can review and modify decisions of other Cabinet secretaries on appeal and can perform functions as allowed or delegated by the Chief Executive.

He can also be the top coordinator of the activities of the Executive Branch of the government, if necessary.

Considering these capacities vested upon Rodriguez, it’s no wonder why there has been so much ‘firepower’ from his enemies to unseat him. But despite getting the flak left and right, the battle-hardened lawyer is still up– proof it’s hard to put a good man down.

Interestingly, the attacks against Rodriguez have degenerated lately into demeaning narratives only the likes of Marites could think of. It’s a clear sign of desperation. If that’s the case, it’s game over for the mudslingers.

The Little President must be grinning from ear to ear.

On the same boat, meanwhile, is the chief executive who could also be wearing a big smile following his glorious SONA message which drew a lot of commendations from various sectors of our society.

Detractors of Marcos must have been hoping for the worst on the outcome of his first SONA which — to their disappointment — turned out to be one of the finest in Philippine history.

It can be recalled that just like Rodriguez, Marcos was also a victim of a vicious demolition job during the recent presidential campaign. Despite that, he unanimously won the elections by more than 30 million votes.

Indeed, you can’t keep good men down.

At any rate, cheers to those who believe in the goodness of the President who recently laid out his magnificent plans for the country.

Lawmakers are solidly behind Marcos who they perceived as their biggest partner in resuscitating the pandemic-battered economy.

Led by House Speaker Martin Romualdez and Deputy Speaker and Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab, the House of Representatives is ready and willing to work with Marcos for his goals in the next six years.

In his SONA, Marcos pushed for 19 legislations that included the National Government Rightsizing Program (NGRP); Budget Modernization Bill; Valuation Reform Bill; Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act (Pifita) and E-Government Act.

“With the leadership of Speaker Martin Romualdez, the House of Representatives is ready to help PBBM in pushing for the enactment of laws that will bring our nation to economic recovery and achieve the remarkable plans and programs he cited in his SONA,” Ungab said.

“We are resolved and committed to pushing for these measures that we know will drive us towards economic recovery and plans to improve the welfare of the people,” he added.

Ungab lauded Marcos for laying down the DOF’s Medium-Term Fiscal Framework and the government’s updated medium-term macroeconomic assumptions and fiscal program and growth targets for FY 2022 to 2028 will be realized.

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