Lucas Bersamin’s ascent to the position of Executive Secretary in September 2022 was not greeted with applause but with suspicion—and rightly so. The so-called “Little President,” a post that demands unimpeachable integrity and absolute public confidence, was handed to a man whose judicial record has long been tainted by political undertones.

Bersamin’s years in the Supreme Court, from associate justice to chief justice, were far from the steady, principled stewardship the judiciary deserved.

Instead, his legacy is littered with rulings and positions that seemed less rooted in doctrine and more in the prevailing winds of political convenience. For many observers, he was not merely a jurist interpreting the law—he was a participant in the political theater, validating decisions that conveniently aligned with those who held power at the moment.

Public Service Record

To describe his judicial record as lackluster is almost generous. It was a tenure marked by decisions that raised not just eyebrows but alarms: rulings that appeared to legitimize questionable exercises of executive authority, votes that mirrored partisan interests, and judgments that left the impression that jurisprudence could bend if the political stakes were high enough. This is the kind of history that erodes public trust—not just in one man but in the institution he once led.

Thus, his appointment as Executive Secretary did not come across as a merit-based promotion but as a reward—a political payback. It sent the unmistakable signal that loyalty, not integrity, was the currency that mattered in the Marcos Jr. administration. Bersamin was not seen as a neutral arbiter stepping into a sensitive role; he was perceived as a reliable political ally placed at the nerve center of Malacañang.

Priority Is Not Reform

For an administration that has stumbled on issues of transparency, governance, and competence, the appointment of a controversial former chief justice as “Little President” only deepened public cynicism. It reinforced the belief that Malacañang’s priority is not reform nor restoring trust in democratic institutions but tightening its inner circle with those who have already shown willingness to accommodate political interests over public welfare.

Bersamin’s appointment was more than just eyebrow-raising. It was a disturbing reminder of how deeply entrenched political patronage remains in the Philippines—and how the guardians of public institutions can so easily become guardians of those in power instead.

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