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Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. marks his first 100 days as president of the Philippines on October 8. Marcos promised to proceed the priorities of his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, whereas pushing for a revival of the insurance policies of his late father, the dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
In his most distinguished public speeches, Marcos has touted a post-COVID restoration plan for the economic system, pledging targets just like the Philippines reaching a middle-income standing for many residents by the tip of his time period. He additionally promised to attain single-digit poverty charges by 2028.
The president introduced an evaluation of his time in workplace thus far, saying he managed to supervise a “authorities which is practical and which has a really, excellent thought of what we’re focusing on by way of strict financial targets.”
Nevertheless promising it sounds, Luis Teodoro, a veteran journalist, Martial Regulation survivor, and trustee on the Heart for Media Freedom and Accountability (CMFR) says it’s nonetheless too early to inform.
There are too many items of the puzzle we’ve but to see. The presidential cupboard has but to be accomplished, with a well being secretary among the many most obtrusive vacancies. Teodoro additionally stated Marcos has made surprising public statements, for instance on the United Nations the place he referred to as on international locations to respect human rights, one thing that has been a serious coverage competition within the nation within the final decade.
On whether or not Marcos has proven larger respect for human rights in comparison with his predecessor, Teodoro informed The Diplomat, “There are some indicators of potential, I have to emphasize the phrase ‘potential,’ adjustments, however there are nonetheless no concrete steps being taken to allow us to see if certainly these indicators are past phrases.”
Equally, Teodoro acknowledged that Marcos had assembled a well-qualified financial crew of technocrats however famous no important coverage adjustments to talk of.
Maybe extra worryingly for the general public is that past the lofty targets and flashy financial crew, the Marcos household has been busy celebrating because it received the elections in Could. Even whereas the nation going through a painful financial downturn, the Marcoses have had eight notable and indulgent events for numerous birthdays and events.
On October 2, the president and his household have been at a soiree in Singapore with allied politicians watching the F1 Grand Prix. It was an particularly ill-timed outing as simply days earlier than, Tremendous Hurricane Noru had slammed into the Philippines, devastating a number of areas.
Teodoro stated this sort of conduct inevitably “distracts from addressing the problems that require pressing response. May or not it’s that he’s searching for folks to nominate in order that he can simply go away the choice making to them?”
Greater than an inclination for flamboyant social gatherings, Marcos’ partying highlights acquainted conduct: The ruling household likes to flaunt their energy and wealth, at the same time as common Filipinos battle.
Martial Regulation Legacy
The Marcos household has usually been accused by critics of peddling disinformation within the nation to rehabilitate the picture of the dictatorial Martial Regulation interval. Professor Francis Gealogo, a Philippine historical past professional on the Ateneo De Manila College, says there may be a military of on-line influencers and content material creators enabled by the president’s camp to distort historical past and make the ruling household seem benevolent.
Gealogo defined: “They’re downplaying extravagance. That is a part of a larger Marcosian promoting marketing campaign. They have already got a status as corrupt, grasping, and abusive, but all of those have been form of recalibrated into one thing enjoyable and up to date.”
Teodoro additionally took difficulty with the administration pushing for the accreditation of vloggers as a part of the Press Corp for the Presidential Palace. Many are recognized to hawk faulty data with impunity, and granting them official standing signifies the president is eager about “controlling the media narrative.”
In the meantime, media practitioners who produce essential stories of the regime have been punished or threatened. Two journalists have been killed by mysterious gunmen for the reason that regime took energy. The most recent killing occurred this week: Percival Mabasa, a radio commentator who slammed the regime’s crackdown on activists and efforts at historic distortion, was shot in his automotive throughout an ambush close to his dwelling on October 3.
Fifty years for the reason that declaration at Martial Regulation and at a time when historic info are themselves wildly polarizing, the Marcos administration moved to considerably slash spending for historic preservation and tradition. The Nationwide Archives of the Philippines was hit with a 25.27 p.c lower in funding, the Nationwide Historic Fee of the Philippines with a 27.26 p.c lower, and the Nationwide Library of the Philippines with a 22.64 p.c lower. The Nationwide Fee for Tradition and Arts obtained a whopping 83.90 p.c lower.
A Bleak Financial Actuality
The Marcos financial crew started their stint by praising the nation’s 7.6 p.c development within the second quarter of the 12 months. They made it appear as if the Philippines was nearing an exit from the disaster introduced on by the coronavirus pandemic.
Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno stays upbeat in regards to the nation’s prospects. Final month, when Marcos was in america, Diokno stated the nation’s “sturdy financial efficiency” will vastly appeal to traders and proclaimed that “that is the most effective time to do enterprise within the Philippines.” The administration on the entire has on the entire stored to that tone.
Nevertheless, present numbers don’t bode nicely.
The Philippines recorded a 6.9 p.c inflation charge in September, up by 0.7 factors from the earlier month and a four-year excessive for the nation. The unemployment charge additionally worsened to five.3 p.c in August, an increase of 0.1 level. Most worryingly the peso continues to fall to its lowest-ever depths, with some estimates saying it might dip to 68 pesos towards the U.S. greenback come Christmas. These traits have pushed meals and gasoline costs even increased.
Sonny Africa, director of the financial analysis assume tank Ibon Basis, questioned the federal government’s optimism. He informed The Diplomat, “Undue fiscal conservatism is the explanation development already began slowing within the second quarter on a year-on-year foundation and really even contracted on a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter foundation. The identical passive financial stance aggravates opposed exterior traits and is stalling actual restoration.”
Africa questioned the administration’s confidence in investments and even migrant remittances, which have historically helped the home economic system. He feels the worldwide recessionary situations are too sturdy, however the Marcos administration has but to know that.
He lamented how, regardless of the flashy introductions, the brand new financial crew is peddling the outdated formulation that stagnated home development up to now and have but to sufficiently handle the concrete issues of uplifting livelihoods and revenue ranges.
“The nation’s financial prospects are most of all harm by the insistence on the outdated financial pondering which eroded the nationwide economic system even earlier than the pandemic and which is stopping actual restoration,” Africa stated. “Marcos Jr’s indulgent social gathering boy picture is problematic primarily for reinforcing that his presidency doesn’t have a powerful grasp of individuals’s situations and won’t take the pressing measures wanted to offer reduction.”
Marcos the Agricultural Knowledgeable?
Early on, Marcos made it clear he needed to take cost of the Division of Agriculture (DA) personally. His well-known marketing campaign promise of normalizing the value of rice at 20 pesos per kilo has but to come back true, though he did backtrack by saying it can take time and that solely publicly sourced rice by the state may implement his said value level.
In July, throughout his State of the Nation handle, Marcos additionally cited the significance of elevating agricultural exports. However for the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (Peasant Motion of the Philippines) or KMP, Marcos’ plans to hold on the earlier administration’s thrust for larger overseas funding within the sector whereas protecting the markets liberalized is misguided.
In accordance with a examine executed by the Anakpawis Occasion-list, for the reason that implementation of the Rice Liberalization Regulation three years in the past, which additional opened up the home market, native rice farmers have misplaced 206 billion pesos.
Due to Tremendous Hurricane Noru, the U.S. Division of Agriculture’s international forecast predicts a rise in rice importation from 3.3 million metric tons to three.4 million mt for 2022-2023. Typhoons are a persistent bane to farmers. Anakpawis estimated that $10 billion has been misplaced as a result of climate-related hazards within the final decade.
KMP Chairperson Danilo Ramos decried how the Marcos authorities has turned a blind eye to the failing agricultural sector, regardless of his assertions in any other case. Ramos says moreover the harm from pure disasters, farmers are going through “rising prices of manufacturing and depressed farm gate costs, which have been recipes of chapter and indebtedness.”
Ramos added that the administration seems extra involved with the aspiration of agricultural improvement as an alternative of the particular points within the agriculture business that want consideration.
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