Will Marcos' costly SONA promises bust Philippines' budget?
the Philippines this week, as President
Ferdinand Marcos Jnr delivered his State of the Nation Address
on Monday with a veritable haul of gifts: cheap rice, free laptops, free bus rides and expanded healthcare.
Advertisement
Yet for all the gift-giving flourish and parade of populist promises, one question remained – who will foot the bill?
The annual State of the Nation Address (SONA) has long served as a platform for Philippine presidents to trumpet their achievements and outline policy ambitions. But this year, Marcos conspicuously bypassed substantive discussion of foreign affairs and economic reform, instead opting for a speech that many analysts saw as an unabashed attempt to curry favour with the public.
Filipinos were 'dismayed' by the state of basic services, the president opined, listing off the core anxieties of daily life: food, education, health, public transport. He urged local governments to revitalise parks and plazas and decreed that three major track-and-field ovals would be opened to the public to encourage exercise.
A family plays with a ball at a pocket park on private land in Makati, south of Manila, in 2019. Marcos urged local governments to revitalise public parks and plazas. Photo: EPA-EFE
The timing of the president's pledges was no accident. His address came in the wake of May's bruising
midterm election , when administration-backed Senate candidates fell far short of expectations, capturing only half the available seats.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
a day ago
- South China Morning Post
Philippines, India mark strategic leap in 75 years of ties amid China tensions
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr 's state visit to India has culminated in the elevation of bilateral ties to a strategic partnership, marking a symbolic high point as the two countries celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations. Advertisement Beyond the ceremony, analysts say the trip reflects a growing convergence between Manila and New Delhi on maritime security, defence cooperation and economic resilience – a relationship shaped by shared democratic values, overlapping interests in the Indo-Pacific, and parallel tensions with China. 'As this year marks 75 years of India-Philippines diplomatic relations, President Marcos Jnr's visit will be seen as a landmark in the bilateral relationship,' Pooja Bhatt, associate professor at the Jindal School of International Affairs, told This Week in Asia. On Tuesday, Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos were formally welcomed at the presidential residence in Delhi, Rashtrapati Bhavan, following a meeting the previous day between Marcos and the Filipino community in India. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr (second from left) and his wife, Liza Araneta-Marcos (right), meet Indian President Droupadi Murmu (right) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi (left) during a welcome reception at the president's House in New Delhi on Tuesday. Photo: EPA Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the two leaders held wide-ranging talks on Tuesday, discussing 'mutual cooperation, regional issues, and international situations in detail'. Advertisement
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Beijing ‘on high alert' for South China Sea disruption after Philippine-India patrol: PLA
Beijing is on high alert for New Delhi's involvement in South China Sea disputes after the first-ever joint patrol between India and the Philippines in the strategically important waters, which observers say may further complicate relations between India and China. The assessment was made as Indian and Philippine navies on Monday wrapped up their maritime cooperative activity (MCA), which coincided with a state visit by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr to India. The MCA involved three Indian naval vessels, including a guided missile destroyer and an anti-submarine corvette. 05:22 Why the South China Sea dispute remains one of the region's most pressing issues Why the South China Sea dispute remains one of the region's most pressing issues Two Philippine Navy warships, including BRP Miguel Malvar, a guided missile frigate that was commissioned in May, also took part in the two-day patrol that 'spanned strategic waters' from Masinloc in Zambales province to Cabra Island in Occidental Mindoro and highlighted 'the growing security collaboration between the two Indo-Pacific partners', the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) tweeted on Monday. Masinloc is a town on the Philippines' main island of Luzon, just 124 nautical miles (230km) east of Scarborough Shoal, a triangle-shaped chain of reefs and rocks that is at the centre of the recent maritime confrontations between Beijing and Manila. On Monday, AFP chief of staff General Romeo Brawner Jnr told local media that 'several' Chinese vessels had been spotted during the patrols, according to the Manila Bulletin. 'We didn't experience any untoward incidents, but there were still some vessels that shadowed us. We expected that already,' he said, adding that he hoped the joint patrol would allow more joint activities between Manila and Delhi.
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- South China Morning Post
India, Philippines launch first joint South China Sea patrol
The two-day sail includes three Indian vessels and started on Sunday, a day ahead of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr 's scheduled trip to New Delhi for talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi The Philippines has heightened defence cooperation with a range of allies over the past year after a series of clashes in the contested waterway. Beijing claims nearly the entirety of the South China Sea despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis. India's naval vessels arrived in Manila for a port visit late last week. The patrol 'started yesterday afternoon, then it's ongoing up to this moment … the activity at the moment is replenishment at sea', Lieutenant Colonel John Paul Salgado said. Indian navy ships INS Delhi (right), a guided-missile destroyer, and INS Kiltan, an anti-submarine warfare corvette, dock at Manila's port on Friday. Photo: AP 'The visit of the Indian naval ships to the Philippines is a powerful testament to the enduring friendship and growing maritime cooperation between the two countries.' Indian ambassador to the Philippines Shri Harsh Kumar Jain said at a reception on Friday on board the INS Shakti fleet tanker, according to Naval News.
