SHELL Philippines Inc. announced on Monday, April 13, that it would lower pump prices of fuel by an average of P20–P23 per liter of diesel, P6.50 per liter of gasoline and P11.50 per liter of kerosene.
A day prior, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in a video message broadcast nationwide, announced the fuel price cuts and promised more government aid. He said: “Hindi pa ito sapat, kaya tuloy-tuloy naman ang ginagawa ng inyong pamahalaan para maibsan ang epekto nito sa inyong pang-araw-araw na buhay. Hindi po tayo titigil hangga’t hindi natin napababa ang gastos sa biyahe, sa pagkain, at sa kabuuang pamumuhay ng ating mga kababayan (This is still not enough, which is why your government continues to take action to ease its effects on your daily lives. We will not stop until we have reduced the cost of transportation, food and the overall cost of living for our fellow citizens).”
Marcos concluded: “Hindi natin hahayaang mapabayaan ang bawat Filipino sa gitna ng mga hamong ito. Kaya tuloy-tuloy ang trabaho ng pamahalaan upang maramdaman ng bawat pamilya ang ginhawa. At iyan ang tinututukan namin araw-araw (We will not allow any Filipino to be neglected amid these challenges. That is why the government continues its work so that every family can feel relief. And that is what we focus on every single day).”
Politics is optics
It is often said that “politics is optics,” referring to the idea that how a political action, decision or event is perceived by the public matters more than the reality of the situation itself. The success of a policy or action often hinges more on how it is framed and received than on its actual merits.
Politicians usually strive for “good optics” to build a favorable image and earn public trust. They avoid “bad optics,” which makes their actions appear untrustworthy or incompetent.
The president’s public relations (PR) handlers fumbled this one. Rather than creating a favorable image of the president, it made him look like a credit-grabber and a corrupt politician.
Price cut not work of govt
The fuel price cuts implemented on April 14 were not the handiwork of the government. They were not the directive of President Marcos.
The reduction in pump prices of diesel and gasoline was the result of market forces and the sliding cost per barrel of crude oil to below $100 — an effect of the announcement of a two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran. President Marcos had no hand in it.
Why, then, would he say that it is still not enough and that his government continues to take action to ease its effects on people’s daily lives? It is not enough precisely because the government has done nothing — except announce price cuts it did not cause.
Lacoste logo
Lacoste’s clothing line originally features a green embroidered crocodile as its logo, symbolizing the tenacity and elegance of the brand’s founder, French tennis champion René Lacoste.
In Marcos Jr.’s 82-second video message, he can be seen wearing a crisp white Lacoste polo shirt with a green crocodile proudly embroidered on its chest. This is, without question, “bad optics.” He should have been dressed in a plain shirt without any logo — or if a logo were appropriate at all, it should have been the presidential seal.
The president’s handlers surely know the meaning of “buwaya.” In Philippine politics, the word buwaya — Tagalog for “crocodile” — is a common idiom for corrupt politicians and government officials. The term is frequently used in media, political cartoons and public protests to criticize those accused of taking advantage of public funds or engaging in bribery, nepotism and other corrupt practices.
The viewing public looked at the president with disdain. Why was he wearing a designer shirt emblazoned with a crocodile? Is he a crocodile-coddler — or a crocodile himself? Once a crocodile, always a crocodile? The president’s public relations handlers fumbled again.
A president’s words carry weight — but only when backed by concrete action. When the public sees through the spin, when they recognize that the price cuts were not the result of governance but of geopolitics and market forces, the carefully worded video message becomes its own undoing. Worse, the crocodile stitched onto that designer shirt did the president’s critics a favor they could not have scripted better themselves. In Philippine politics, symbols matter. And on that Sunday, whether by carelessness or sheer irony, the president wore his on his chest.
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