AGUELO, Regine Ebe C.

AB POL SCI 4A
Seminar in Philippine Politics

Malacanang: A Glimpse on the Nation’s Future

Another Marcos is currently residing in the Malacanang Palace for six years. He is
Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., “son of the former President Marcos Sr.” It was during the
National elections on May 9, 2022, when millions of Filipinos voted him in the highest position
of the nation - the president. A total of 31 million votes, Bongbong Marcos was officially
declared and proclaimed as the president of the Philippines last June 30 alongside his Vice
President Sara Duterte. 1After two decades, the Filipino people will be able to encounter another
face of tyranny. History seems to repeat itself in Philippine politics when they voted for a tax
evader and another injustices continuation of the Marcos’ autocratic regime.

After condemning Marcos' dark history, last July 25, 2022, BBM delivered his first State
of the Nation Address in front of the Filipino people in the middle of the difficult times with the
COVID-19 pandemic. While running as president, Marcos Jr. has pledged to provide "unifying
leadership" and to put the economy and pandemic recovery first if elected president. In addition,
he has promised to support agriculture, clear Manila's traffic, promote renewable energy sources,
and keep up the battle against the long-running communist insurgency. He stated that he
intended to strengthen ties with the US and Russia while negotiating a settlement to China's
territorial conflicts2. During his SONA, he reiterated some of his plans in every sector of the
government that will aid the Filipino in terms of livelihood, health, and education. Let us take a
glimpse on what are the different plans he will provide for the betterment of Filipinos.3

1 Lema, Karen & Morales, Neil Jerome. “Marcos, Son of Strongman, Triumphs in Philippines Presidential
Election.” Reuters. Thomson Reuters, May 10, 2022. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/prospect-marcos-
revival-looms-philippines-votes-new-president-2022-05-08/.
2Andreo Calonzo |. “Analysis | How Another Marcos Could Win Power in the Philippines.” The Washington Post.
WP Company, April 21, 2022. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/how-another-marcos-could-win-power-
in-the-philippines/2022/04/21/49459b80-c128-11ec-b5df-1fba61a66c75_story.html.

3
 One of his pronouncements during his nation’s address is about the welfare of Overseas
Filipino Welfare whereas Marcos shared that the “Department of Migrant Workers (DMW)” will
then serve as a refuge which shall respond to the calls of the migrant workers and OFWS. In his
administration, his priority is to be able to eliminate red tape and be able to automate verification
of contracts. At the same time, he also vowed towards addressing “One Repatriation Command
Center for Filipinos” which could be established outside the country and be able to have
preparation for conflicts and other concerns. One of the positive outcomes is that OFWs can help
it in the processing of papers so that the three months it took would be shortened to three weeks
for foreign employers to hire their Filipino workers 4. However, it is still a broad plan according
to Jean Encinas-Franco, a professor at the University of the Philippines, as she advised caution in
implementing the program because Marcos Jr. did not dwell on focusing on carrying out the
plan. In addition, law-makers should constantly be aware that migrant workers do not have the
same experience and it is crucial to recognize that some OFWs lack access to phones or lack
internet skills despite the fact that the government pushes digital systems.

Another aspect of international relations that he brought up was the foreign policy
regarding any process that would result in the Republic of the Philippines ceding even a single
square inch of its territory to a foreign power. He said this was unacceptable because the
Philippines will always be friendly toward all nations. Marcos also reaffirmed that the
government would actively build links that were "stronger and more diverse." But, he also
guaranteed that the interests of the Philippines as a whole would be the only considerations that
would guide his approach to foreign policy. We have watched Marcos, after over eight months of
his administration, being an active representative in many summits and conferences with other
countries, which will eventually aid the country in a variety of aspects including the economy
and health. Sadly, his "friend to all" relations policy does not apply to the Filipinos who have
been legitimately harmed by the intimidated powers of China in the West Philippine Sea. These
Filipinos fall outside of the policy's scope of applicability. Marcos Jr. needs to put the welfare of
the Filipino people ahead of his pride in his role as president.

4 Salazar, Cherry. “From 3 Months to 3 Weeks? Caution Urged as Marcos Promises to Cut Red Tape in Processing
OFW Papers.” Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. Accessed March 29, 2023.
https://pcij.org/blog/3598/from-3-months-to-3-weeks-caution-urged-as-marcos-promises-to-cut-red-tape-in-
processing-ofw-papers.
 He also discussed the sector of education, specifically the K-12 program in which he said
that the government’s K to 12 program has been reviewed. Currently, all inputs are being taken
into account in order to put a stop to the horrible stories about the subpar supplies and materials
used in schools. In connection with this, he has already implemented full face to face classes for
the 2022–2023 academic year because he thinks it's time for students to resume physical
learning. The Department of Education (DepEd), which is overseen by Vice President Sara
Duterte, has already begun making preparations for its implementation during the upcoming
academic year. These preparations have been made with the utmost concern for the safety of
both the children and the teachers.
In light of the fact that pupils were going to be going back to school, he recommended the
general population to get booster shots so that they could strengthen their defense against
COVID-19. Marcos ordered a fresh supply of booster injections to be delivered to the
Department of Health as well as the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
In conjunction with DPWH, the state and accessibility of school rooms must also be addressed 5.
One can still remember how students and teachers urgently pushed the physical classes during
the first few months of COVID-19 pandemic and online classes. After two years, we are already
dealing with face-to-face classes. Moreover, due to the inflation rate that the country is facing
today, big changes from transportation fare, and food allowance were all affected at the moment.
Therefore, DepEd and CHED should create an alternative plan that will help students and
teachers in the talks of financial as well as mental health assistance.

In contrast to Marcos' assertion that the country cannot afford another lockdown, the
health sector will not be absent during the State of the Nation Address (SONA), as was the case
during the COVID-19 pandemic that was mentioned earlier. Marcos stated that the public's
health and safety as well as the economy must be balanced. He asserted that he has secured the
assistance of a large number of entities, most notably the Department of Health (DOH), to ensure
that the country's healthcare system is ready to deal with a surge in cases of COVID19 without
being overburdened. In order to increase levels of trust and get full commercial activities back up
and running, they would standardize procedures and work more closely with the private sector.
5 Mondonedo-Ynot, Laureen. “Summary: Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s Sona 2022.” SUNSTAR. SUNSTAR, July 25,
2022. https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1935934/manila/local-news/summary-ferdinand-marcos-jrs-sona-2022.
In conjunction with vaccination efforts, the education and awareness campaign regarding
COVID19 will be ramped up. In addition to this, he emphasized the importance of expanding the
number of hospitals and other health care facilities, and he asked members of Congress to pass
legislation that would establish the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as
a vaccine organization. In addition to this, he vowed that his administration would increase the
number of hospitals and clinics located not only in Metro Manila but also in other parts of the
country. There is an obvious requirement for a more improved healthcare system.

Together with expanding clinics and hospitals, Marcos had discussed lowering the price
and ensuring a supply that will be sufficient for people. He then started negotiating with
manufacturers to reduce the cost of prescription. This was in relation to the dissolution of the
cartel among pharmaceutical firms. It also opened about the enforcement of enquiry which will
about having a free market that could be advantageous for the Philippines 6. It is still fresh in the
mind of every Filipino when Marcos mentioned the adoption of policies and initiatives to
guarantee public health, increase possibilities for employment, and uphold law and order in the
nation counts as one of his administration's triumphs7.

Unfortunately, until now, the health sector is still facing shortage and poor services due to
the lack of equipment. In general, the healthcare industry as a whole is confronted by growing
inflation, which is mostly caused by wage increases, supply-chain disruptions, and a high labor
turnover rate that might lower the quality of treatment (Domingo, 2023). 8 Lastly is about the
legislation that Marcos has asked Congress to enact 19 measures to help his administration's
ambitions. “The National Government Rightsizing Program is one of them, along with the
Budget Modernization Bill, the Valuation Reform Bill, the Passive Income and Financial
Intermediary Taxation Act, the E-Government Act, the Internet Transaction Act, the Government
Financial Institutions Unified Initiatives to Distressed Enterprises for Economic Recovery, the
Medical Reserve Corps, the National Disease Prevention Management Authority, the Virology

6 Mondonedo-Ynot, Laureen. “Summary: Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s Sona 2022.” SUNSTAR. SUNSTAR, July 25,
2022. https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1935934/manila/local-news/summary-ferdinand-marcos-jrs-sona-2022.
7 Gita-Carlos, Ruth Abbey “1st 100 Days: Health, Livelihood, Peace Process Take Center Stage.” Accessed March
29, 2023. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1185681.
8 Ronnel W. Domingo, “Recovery Still in the Cards for Ph in 2023, Says McKinsey,” INQUIRER.net, March 27,
2023, https://business.inquirer.net/393181/recovery-still-in-the-cards-for-ph-in-23-says-mckinsey.
Institute of the Philippines, the Department of Water Resources, and the Unified System of
Sewerage Assessment”9. In these difficult times with a high inflation rate, transport strike issue
and health sector deficiency, Marcos should consider things that need to be prioritized.

At the end of his first SONA, Marcos Jr. urged Filipinos to have this trust in the society.
Throughout this period of global crisis, the Filipino spirit shall never weaken. Although, it is still
disappointing on our part as a taxpayer that the one who leads the country is a tax evader, we
should accept the fact that he has already stepped in the Malacanang. Moreover, Marcos Jr.
should have a focus and think of an effective strategy and plans every time he decides to create
one. Being a president of the Philippines is not that easy knowing the fact that he lacks an
educational background and has a history of corruption and other cases. His first year is still a
blur for the change that the Filipino people are looking and aiming for. If history just keeps
repeating itself, where are we after six years? It is then heavily recommended that the steps shall
be traced to successfully craft better outcomes that shall be offered.

9 Mondonedo-Ynot, Laureen. “Summary: Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s Sona 2022.” SUNSTAR. SUNSTAR, July 25,
2022. https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1935934/manila/local-news/summary-ferdinand-marcos-jrs-sona-2022.