It’s hard for many people to believe that there are extraordinary things inside themselves, as well as others. — Unbreakable

As above, so below.

FROM top-drawer Cabinet officials to middle-level executives and employees of the bureaucracy, the Marcos administration is tapping the best and the brightest.

Local business organizations, foreign business chambers, and the diplomatic corps have all lauded President Marcos’ prime picks for his Cabinet.

The President does not want anything less for the middle and lower rungs of government.

It recently announced it would only appoint public managers based on their merit and fitness to do their official functions and never on political connections.

At the Third Public Leaders’ Summit conducted by the Career Executive Service Board recently, Executive Sec. Victor Rodriguez said public managers must enhance their strategic thinking skills, practice foresight, act with agility, behave with integrity, and “unite as one public servant with purpose”.

“The President yearns for a decent future for all Filipinos and nothing less,” Rodriguez said in his speech.

He stressed that without the help of career executive service officers, the vision of the administration won’t be achievable.

“You (the CESOs) will set the tone for the outcome of the President’s vision,” he said.

While CESOs already have what it takes to navigate the VUCAD — (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity, and diversity — world, Rodriguez noted that “there are certain attributes and skills that public managers must still develop to thrive in the present context”.

The two-day summit “Leading Change: Focus on the Core” discussed CESO functions for good governance as well as their competencies, mindsets, and values, that are necessary to navigate the terrain of public service.

The summit was the first in-person gathering of CESOs and career service eligibles since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020.

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After laying down the President’s executive hiring policy, Ped Xing finds it rather curious that a shadowy group is allegedly waging a “black propaganda” campaign against Rodriguez.

A certain group allegedly style themselves off as Malacanang “power brokers”.

The group is allegedly bragging about their supposed direct line to PBBM.

However, those the group endorsed for key appointments were mostly known to have held previous government positions but allegedly faced various cases.

In fact, many of those the group is shoehorning into the government service have already been shot down by reputable vloggers who were also members of the screening committee of the then BBM campaign headquarters.

The supposed recruits were offered juicy positions in the Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Internal Revenue, and even the Land Transportation Office but were barred on account of their alleged bad records.

In the May national elections, the group was said to have solicited financial contributions allegedly for the election campaign of then candidate and now-President Marcos,

The group had apparently smooth-talked businessmen keen on supporting the UniTeam ticket of Marcos and then Davao City Vice Mayor and now Vice President and Education Sec. Sarah Duterte to course their political contributions/donations through him.

One of the group’s alleged ‘donors’ was a Cavite-based businessman they convinced to cough up millions.

The poor bloke was allegedly promised big-ticket projects once PBBM was seated in Malacanang.

The intel community is now investigating where the funds went.

The Marcos campaign HQ did not confirm receipt of a legitimate donation from this supposed contributor.

And because the group had to save face, they allegedly launched a massive disinformation campaign against the “Little President”.

Behold God’s glory and seek His mercy.

Pause, ponder, pray, and act, people.