MANILA -- President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. doesn’t find any similarity between his administration and the government of former president Benigno Aquino Jr.

The chief executive declined to agree to notions during a media interviews in Washington, DC that his policies towards the United States and the West Philippine Sea are the same.

“ No, I don’t see it,” President Marcos told reporters after finishing a discussion in a business forum with chief executive officers of various US companies.

When asked if there’s resemblance between Executive Order No. 56 and the policy against ‘Wangwang’ of Aquino during his term, President Marcos replied that the EO he issued is not just about sirens.

“It’s about really the number of [low-numbered or protocol license] plates na binawasan namin,” he explained.

To prevent abuse and improve transparency, President Marcos earlier issued EO No. 56 to tighten regulations on the issuance of the special plates given to government officials.

The EO came amid growing public concern over the proliferation of protocol plates, which grant vehicles special privileges on the road, including the exemption from the number coding scheme.

“This executive order aims to promote a more transparent and accountable system for the issuance of protocol license plates,” the order said. “It ensures these privileges are used appropriately by a designated group of officials for legitimate purposes,” it added.

“So that’s what really, that’s what it is about, So this is not about the wangwang, that’s a very small part of it. What it really is, is to impose discipline,” President Marcos said.

To have disciplined drivers on the road, the Philippine leader said Filipinos serving in government should first set themselves as examples.

“So if we are going to ask ordinary citizens to do that, to keep that in mind, the very least we can do is to show the government as a good example and then lead the way,” he explained. (PCO)