OPINION
Ed Javier
Hanggang Kailan Magbubulag-Bulagan Ang Palasyo?
Screengrab via BBM/RTVM
If this is not a crisis, then what exactly is President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. waiting for?
Malacañang’s messaging, led by Palace aide Claire Castro, that the country is merely experiencing a “price disruption” is not just tone-deaf. It is plainly wrong.
People are paying more for fuel, transport, and food. Families are already feeling the squeeze.
Meanwhile, many senior government officials have access to fuel allowances, official vehicles, chauffeurs, and security details, all at taxpayers’ expense.
Perhaps that is why this kind of framing seems comfortable inside the Palace. To call this anything less than a crisis is not only misguided but deeply insensitive to ordinary Filipinos.
Castro’s claim that “there is no crisis yet” ignores reality. Every fare hike, every increase in basic goods, every shrinking household budget is proof that the impact is already here.
Worse, it sets an absurd threshold: only when things get worse can the government admit a crisis exists. This messaging is not just inaccurate, it is dangerous.
It risks lulling the public into false reassurance while the effects of rising fuel prices and inflation ripple through the economy.
The contradiction becomes even more glaring when Malacañang simultaneously announces the formation of a “crisis committee.”
If there is truly no crisis, why the need for one? If there is, why deny it? This is not just confusing messaging, it is a leadership problem waiting to happen.
The public does not need semantics. They need clarity. They need a government that acts before the pain hits harder, not one that debates words while households tighten their belts.
President Marcos should be asking hard questions.
How many advisers, presidential assistants, secretaries, and undersecretaries does he need before he sees that the messaging coming from his Palace, calling a real, painful situation a mere “price disruption” is simply wrong?
In my view, this kind of framing risks misleading the public and eroding trust.
If Filipinos believe the President is in denial while prices continue to rise, the consequences could be severe and it may be too late to regain their confidence.
If the Palace continues to offer this kind of messaging, it is little wonder why the President’s own ratings remain weak.
The latest Pulse Asia survey shows President Marcos with a 36 % approval rating against 45 % disapproval, while 59 % of Filipino adults believe the government should act urgently to curb rising prices. making inflation the top national concern.
Every week that officials dismiss the situation, the gap between perception and reality widens, and the President himself is the one who pays the political cost.
Weeks into a global disruption that has already driven oil prices upward, the government remains hesitant. Still organizing, still defining, still calibrating its words.
Meanwhile, the public absorbs the cost in real time. This is not a messaging lapse. It is a failure to align words with reality.
At a time when clarity is essential, what Filipinos are hearing is qualification and minimization. What they are seeing is a government more cautious about terminology than decisive action.
Leadership demands the opposite. It requires acknowledging the problem early, speaking plainly about its impact, and moving quickly to mitigate it.
It requires recognizing that crises are not declared, they are experienced.
Right now, Filipinos are already experiencing it.
The voices of workers, commuters, and small businesses must not remain outside the doors of Malacañang. Their experience is reality. It cannot be filtered through talking points and euphemisms.
Every delay in action, every word that downplays the severity, is a day the public pays more for basic goods and services.
President Marcos cannot afford to wait.
He must correct the record, demand that his aides stop misrepresenting the situation, and ensure that the government’s response matches the scale of the problem.
Leadership is about more than committees and announcements; it is about accountability, action, and honest communication.
Hanggang kailan magbubulag-bulagan at magbibingihan ang gobyerno sa hinaing at hirap na dinaranas nating mga Pilipino?
Hanggang kailan papayagan ng Pangulo ang ganitong mga paliwanag na lalong nakakadagdag sa kalituhan at pasanin ng ating mga kababayan?
Mr. President, panahon na para kumilos at kumilos ng mabilis.
Malacañang’s messaging, led by Palace aide Claire Castro, that the country is merely experiencing a “price disruption” is not just tone-deaf. It is plainly wrong.
People are paying more for fuel, transport, and food. Families are already feeling the squeeze.
Meanwhile, many senior government officials have access to fuel allowances, official vehicles, chauffeurs, and security details, all at taxpayers’ expense.
Perhaps that is why this kind of framing seems comfortable inside the Palace. To call this anything less than a crisis is not only misguided but deeply insensitive to ordinary Filipinos.
Castro’s claim that “there is no crisis yet” ignores reality. Every fare hike, every increase in basic goods, every shrinking household budget is proof that the impact is already here.
Worse, it sets an absurd threshold: only when things get worse can the government admit a crisis exists. This messaging is not just inaccurate, it is dangerous.
It risks lulling the public into false reassurance while the effects of rising fuel prices and inflation ripple through the economy.
The contradiction becomes even more glaring when Malacañang simultaneously announces the formation of a “crisis committee.”
If there is truly no crisis, why the need for one? If there is, why deny it? This is not just confusing messaging, it is a leadership problem waiting to happen.
The public does not need semantics. They need clarity. They need a government that acts before the pain hits harder, not one that debates words while households tighten their belts.
President Marcos should be asking hard questions.
How many advisers, presidential assistants, secretaries, and undersecretaries does he need before he sees that the messaging coming from his Palace, calling a real, painful situation a mere “price disruption” is simply wrong?
In my view, this kind of framing risks misleading the public and eroding trust.
If Filipinos believe the President is in denial while prices continue to rise, the consequences could be severe and it may be too late to regain their confidence.
If the Palace continues to offer this kind of messaging, it is little wonder why the President’s own ratings remain weak.
The latest Pulse Asia survey shows President Marcos with a 36 % approval rating against 45 % disapproval, while 59 % of Filipino adults believe the government should act urgently to curb rising prices. making inflation the top national concern.
Every week that officials dismiss the situation, the gap between perception and reality widens, and the President himself is the one who pays the political cost.
Weeks into a global disruption that has already driven oil prices upward, the government remains hesitant. Still organizing, still defining, still calibrating its words.
Meanwhile, the public absorbs the cost in real time. This is not a messaging lapse. It is a failure to align words with reality.
At a time when clarity is essential, what Filipinos are hearing is qualification and minimization. What they are seeing is a government more cautious about terminology than decisive action.
Leadership demands the opposite. It requires acknowledging the problem early, speaking plainly about its impact, and moving quickly to mitigate it.
It requires recognizing that crises are not declared, they are experienced.
Right now, Filipinos are already experiencing it.
The voices of workers, commuters, and small businesses must not remain outside the doors of Malacañang. Their experience is reality. It cannot be filtered through talking points and euphemisms.
Every delay in action, every word that downplays the severity, is a day the public pays more for basic goods and services.
President Marcos cannot afford to wait.
He must correct the record, demand that his aides stop misrepresenting the situation, and ensure that the government’s response matches the scale of the problem.
Leadership is about more than committees and announcements; it is about accountability, action, and honest communication.
Hanggang kailan magbubulag-bulagan at magbibingihan ang gobyerno sa hinaing at hirap na dinaranas nating mga Pilipino?
Hanggang kailan papayagan ng Pangulo ang ganitong mga paliwanag na lalong nakakadagdag sa kalituhan at pasanin ng ating mga kababayan?
Mr. President, panahon na para kumilos at kumilos ng mabilis.
Ed Javier
Ed Javier is a veteran communicator with over 35 years of experience in corporate, government, and advocacy communications, spanning the terms of seven Philippine presidents. He is also a political analyst, entrepreneur, and media professional. Drawing on this experience, he delivers clear, accessible analysis of political, governance, and business issues.
Ed Javier
Mar 23, 2026
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