Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

marked his first 100 days as president of the

Philippines on October 8. Marcos promised to continue the priorities of his
predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, while pushing for a revival of the policies of his late
father, the dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

In his most prominent public speeches, Marcos has touted a post-COVID recovery plan
for the economy, pledging targets like the Philippines reaching a middle-income status
for most citizens by the end of his term. He also promised to achieve single-digit poverty
rates by 2028.

The president presented an assessment of his time in office so far, saying he managed
to oversee a “government which is functional and which has a very, very good idea of
what we are targeting in terms of strict economic targets.”

However promising it sounds, Luis Teodoro, a veteran journalist, Martial Law survivor,
and trustee at the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) says it’s still
too early to tell.

There are too many pieces of the puzzle we’ve yet to see. The presidential cabinet
has yet to be completed, with a health secretary among the most glaring
vacancies. Teodoro also said Marcos has made unexpected public statements, for
example at the United Nations where he called on countries to respect human rights,
something that has been a major policy contention in the country in the last decade.

On whether Marcos has shown greater respect for human rights compared to his
predecessor, Teodoro told The Diplomat, “There are some indicators of possible, I must
emphasize the word ‘possible,’ changes, but there are still no concrete steps being
taken to enable us to see if indeed those indicators are beyond words.”

Similarly, Teodoro acknowledged that Marcos had assembled a well-qualified

economic team of technocrats but noted no significant policy changes to speak
of.

Perhaps more worryingly for the public is that beyond the lofty targets and flashy
economic team, the Marcos family has been busy celebrating since it won the
elections in May. Even while the country is facing a painful economic downturn, the
Marcoses have had eight notable and extravagant parties for various birthdays and
occasions.
On October 2, the president and his family were at a soiree in Singapore with
allied politicians watching the F1 Grand Prix. It was an especially ill-timed outing as
just days before, Super Typhoon Noru had slammed into the Philippines, devastating
several areas.

Teodoro said this kind of behavior inevitably “distracts from addressing the issues that
require urgent response. Could it be that he is looking for people to appoint so that he
can just leave the decision making to them?”

More than an inclination for flamboyant social gatherings, Marcos’ partying highlights
familiar behavior: The ruling family likes to flaunt their power and wealth, even as
average Filipinos struggle.

Meanwhile, media practitioners who produce critical reports of the regime have
been punished or threatened. Two journalists have been killed by mysterious gunmen
since the regime took power. The latest killing happened this week: Percival Mabasa, a
radio commentator who slammed the regime’s crackdown on activists and efforts at
historical distortion, was shot in his car during an ambush near his home on October 3.

Fifty years since the declaration at Martial Law and at a time when historical facts are
themselves wildly polarizing, the Marcos administration moved to significantly slash
spending for historical preservation and culture. The National Archives of the Philippines
was hit with a 25.27 percent decrease in funding, the National Historical Commission of
the Philippines with a 27.26 percent decrease, and the National Library of the
Philippines with a 22.64 percent decrease. The National Commission for Culture and
Arts got a whopping 83.90 percent decreas

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