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/.
2
Andreo 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 workers4. 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 addressed5. 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. In conjunction with vaccination efforts, the
education and awareness campaign regarding COVID19 will be ramped up. In addition to this, he

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.
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 Philippines6. 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 Institute of the Philippines, the Department

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.
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.