Latest news with #Marcos'
The Star
a day ago
- Politics
- The Star
Marcos talks tough on budget, corruption in bid to reset Philippine presidency
MANILA: Bruised by the May midterm election and shadowed by a stalled impeachment trial against his erstwhile ally Vice-President Sara Duterte, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr used his fourth State of the Nation address to project strength and reclaim authority amid growing doubts over his leadership. Breaking from his run-of-the-mill speeches in the last three years, Marcos on July 28 laid out a series of populist promises aimed at improving welfare and infrastructure programmes for ordinary Filipinos: Free dialysis at state-run health centres, payment of teachers' unpaid overtime salaries, electricity and water supplies in far-flung areas, and expanded transport services for key urban centres were among the initiatives mooted. But the most pointed moment in the speech came at the end, when Marcos warned lawmakers against tampering with his proposed 6.793 trillion peso (US$118.59 billion) budget for fiscal year 2026. He also vowed to crack down on corruption and investigate anomalous flood control projects that have long been seen by some quarters as sources of 'pork barrel' or discretionary funds. 'Pork barrel funds' refer to government funds allocated to local projects deemed to benefit a particular constituency or interest group, and are often at the discretion of individual legislators or the executive branch. These funds are frequently associated with political patronage. 'To those conspiring to steal public funds and rob our people of their future, have some shame! Have some shame for the families whose homes were swept away in floods. Have some shame for the children who will inherit the debts you created, the money you pocketed for yourselves,' Marcos said. Analysts told The Straits Times that Marcos' tone was deliberate, with the President recognising his administration's vulnerabilities and attempting to posit himself as a leader willing to wield power more decisively. 'The budget, as devised by Marcos and his team, is their way of delivering those big promises that he made in his address,' said Michael Yusingco, senior research fellow at the Manila-based Ateneo Policy Centre. 'So this is a very powerful message because he's saying: 'I am in control now. This is the budget that I want'.' Marcos' approval ratings dropped to their lowest levels at the height of the midterm election season, which saw the allies of Duterte and opposition figures outnumbering the Marcos-backed candidates in the Senate race. His Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas camp won only six of the 12 contested Senate seats – while Duterte not only retained formidable public support but also emerged as the pivotal power broker amid ongoing impeachment proceedings. Analysts say this was a 'protest vote' in response to the Marcos government's failure to deliver basic services, something the President himself acknowledged at the start of his annual speech to Congress. 'This is Marcos going on accountability mode… He is hitting on the kind of business-as-usual politics riddled with corruption and kickbacks,' said Dr Aries Arugay, visiting senior fellow at Singapore's ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute and head of the University of the Philippines' political science department. 'Finally, he is showing the big stick that he possesses as president.' Dr Arugay and Yusingco say that Marcos' decision to go big on populist messaging isn't just about rallying public support but also aimed at putting pressure on lawmakers who may be hedging their bets ahead of the 2028 presidential race, where early surveys show Ms Duterte as the leading contender. A case in point is Marcos' vow to audit flood control projects. Long linked to congressional corruption, his firm stance on these projects drew a standing ovation from lawmakers when the President warned of prosecutions in his speech. 'It is the lawmakers, the political dynasties themselves who are profiting from these flood control projects. So is this a veiled warning to them?' mused Yusingco. Marcos is expected to appoint a new Ombudsman in the coming weeks, to be tasked with going after errant politicians. Dr Arugay believes the appointment will be a 'litmus' test of whether the President's anti-corruption push is genuine, saying: 'Will the Ombudsman chase Marcos allies or only those deemed as enemies of the President? His (the President's) accountability campaign will only be genuine and sincere if even people who are not his political enemies will be held accountable.' The continued friction between the Marcos and Duterte families remains a destabilising factor to the President's agenda in the last three years of his single six-year term, which ends in 2028. On July 25, the Supreme Court ruled that the articles of impeachment sent by the Marcos-dominated House of Representatives to the Senate were unconstitutional, citing the one-year ban on filing multiple impeachment complaints against the same official. It remains unclear whether the Senate will follow the ruling or proceed to convene as an impeachment court to try the country's vice-president for alleged impeachable offences. The court said it was not absolving Duterte of the charges she faces. But the ruling means she has been granted a reprieve from possible ousting, at least until February 2026. Dr Arugay noted: 'We cannot avoid that possibility... If the Senate and the House heed the Supreme Court, we will go back to square one of the impeachment process. And therefore, the attention of the country will be on that again instead of (Marcos' policy agenda).' For now, Marcos' strategy appears to be twofold: Win over the public with social spending, and pressure Congress into submission. But Yusingco said that the President's biggest hurdle is not the opposition, but the entrenched dynasties within his own coalition. 'The Speaker of the House (Martin Romualdez) is his cousin. But the House Speaker also made promises to the lawmakers. So there's going to be a lot of horse-trading,' he said. What remains to be seen is whether Marcos will follow through on the tough talk. In his first three years, the President was often criticised for being aloof and reactive instead of proactive, particularly on domestic governance issues. In his latest speech, he attempted to reframe that narrative. 'Marcos doesn't seem to have the credibility (that he can go hard against corruption),' said Dr Arugay. 'He needs to stand his ground... This is uncharted terrain for him'. - The Straits Times/ANN
GMA Network
a day ago
- Business
- GMA Network
SONA 2025 by the numbers
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivered his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, laying out his plans for the last three years of his administration. The 2025 SONA lasted for 1 hour and 11 minutes, starting at exactly 4:06 p.m. until 5:17 p.m. Among the promises he delivered is the expansion of the P20 per kilo subsidized rice nationwide and providing internet access to all public schools in the country before the end of 2025. Here is a breakdown of Marcos' SONA promises by the numbers: Economy 2.5 million: Number of Filipino families the government targets to assist in establishing small businesses 200: Number of plants the government is targeting to provide electricity to 4 million Filipino homes 4 million: Number of households the President is eyeing to energize before the end of his term 1 million: Additional number of households to be provided with electricity by 2028 using solar power Food and hunger alleviation P20: Price of subsidized rice per kilo nationwide 600,000: Number of food-poor households targeted under the Walang Gutom Program by 2025 750,000: Targeted Walang Gutom Program beneficiaries by 2028 P1 billion: Promised budget for the feeding programs for daycare centers and public schools Agriculture 15 million: Number of hybrid and high-quality sedlings the administration aims to plant nationwide 100 million: Target number of coconut trees the government wants to plant across the country Education P1 billion: Promised funding for the establishment of 300 barangay child development centers and 'Bulilit Centers' in the country 40,000: Number of classrooms the government is eyeing to build before the end of the administration P60 billion: Budget for free tertiary education and technical vocation (tech-voc) programs in the country Transportation 0 — fees for 'Love Bus' service 3 days —Waiting period for the release of motor vehicle plates Infrastructure 32 kilometers —Length of the proposed Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge that will connect Mariveles, Bataan to Naic, Cavite. It will shorten travel time from five hours to 45 minutes. 45 minutes —Travel time from Bataan to Cavite after the completion of the proposed Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge —LDF, GMA Integrated News
a day ago
- Politics
Confronted by crises, Philippine president delivers state of the nation speech
MANILA, Philippines -- Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is delivering his state of the nation speech while confronting diverse crises midway through his six-year term, including recent deadly storms with more than 120,000 people encamped in emergency shelters, turbulent ties with the vice president and escalating territorial disputes with Beijing in the South China Sea. About 22,000 policemen were deployed Monday to secure the House of Representatives complex in suburban Quezon city in the capital region before Marcos' address to both chambers of Congress, top government and military officials and diplomats. Thousands of protesters staged rallies to highlight a wide range of demands from higher wages due to high inflation to the immediate impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte over a raft of alleged crimes. Marcos' rise to power in mid-2022, more than three decades after an army-backed 'People Power' revolt overthrew his father from office and into global infamy, was one of the most dramatic political comebacks. But he inherited a wide range of problems, including an economy that was one of the worst-hit by the coronavirus pandemic, which worsened poverty, unemployment, inflation and hunger. His whirlwind political alliance with Duterte rapidly floundered and she and her family, including her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, became her harshest critics. The former president was arrested in March in a chaotic scene at Manila's international airport and flown to be detained by the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands for an alleged crime against humanity over his deadly anti-drugs crackdowns while still in power. Sara Duterte became the first vice president of the Philippines to be impeached in February by the House of Representatives, which is dominated by Marcos' allies, over a range of criminal allegations including largescale corruption and publicly threatening to have the president, his wife and Romualdez killed by an assassin if she herself were killed during her disputes with them. The Supreme Court ruled Friday that the impeachment case was unconstitutional due to a key procedural technicality, hampering Duterte's expected trial in the Senate, which has convened as an impeachment tribunal. House legislators said they were planning to appeal the decision. Unlike his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, who nurtured cozy ties with China and Russia, Marcos broadened his country's treaty alliance with the United States and started to deepen security alliances with Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada France and other Western governments to strengthen deterrence against increasingly aggressive actions by China in the disputed South Chin Sea. That stance has strained relations between Manila and Beijing. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said the Marcos administration would continue to shift the military's role from battling a weakening communist insurgency to focusing on external defense, specially in the disputed South China Sea, a vital global trade route where confrontations between Chinese and Philippine coast guard and naval forces have intensified in recent years. 'The president's statements were, we would be unyielding and resistant to Chinese aggression in the West Philippines Sea,' Teodoro said in an interview by the ABS-CBN TV network, using the Philippine name for the stretch of disputed waters off the western Philippine coast. 'We've been gearing up towards that mission.' Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Marcos in the White House for talks on tariffs, trade and further boosting their countries' treaty alliance. After returning to Manila, Marcos traveled to an evacuation center outside Manila to help distribute food and other aid to villagers displaced by back-to-back storms and days of monsoon downpours that have flooded vast stretches of the main northern Luzon region, including Manila. More than 6 million people were affected by the onslaught, which left more than 30 others dead, mostly due to drownings, landslides and falling trees.
News18
2 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Confronted by crises, Philippine president delivers state of nation speech
Manila, Jul 28 (AP) Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr is delivering his state of the nation speech while confronting diverse crises midway through his six-year term, including recent deadly storms with more than 120,000 people encamped in emergency shelters, turbulent ties with the vice president and escalating territorial disputes with Beijing in the South China Sea. About 22,000 policemen were deployed Monday to secure the House of Representatives complex in suburban Quezon city in the capital region before Marcos' address to both chambers of Congress, top government and military officials and diplomats. Thousands of protesters staged rallies to highlight a wide range of demands from higher wages due to high inflation to the immediate impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte over a raft of alleged crimes. Marcos' rise to power in mid-2022, more than three decades after an army-backed 'People Power" revolt overthrew his father from office and into global infamy, was one of the most dramatic political comebacks. But he inherited a wide range of problems, including an economy that was one of the worst-hit by the coronavirus pandemic, which worsened poverty, unemployment, inflation and hunger. His whirlwind political alliance with Duterte rapidly floundered and she and her family, including her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, became her harshest critics. The former president was arrested in March in a chaotic scene at Manila's international airport and flown to be detained by the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands for an alleged crime against humanity over his deadly anti-drugs crackdowns while still in power. Sara Duterte became the first vice president of the Philippines to be impeached in February by the House of Representatives, which is dominated by Marcos' allies, over a range of criminal allegations including largescale corruption and publicly threatening to have the president, his wife and Romualdez killed by an assassin if she herself were killed during her disputes with them. The Supreme Court ruled Friday that the impeachment case was unconstitutional due to a key procedural technicality, hampering Duterte's expected trial in the Senate, which has convened as an impeachment tribunal. House legislators said they were planning to appeal the decision. Unlike his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, who nurtured cozy ties with China and Russia, Marcos broadened his country's treaty alliance with the United States and started to deepen security alliances with Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada France and other Western governments to strengthen deterrence against increasingly aggressive actions by China in the disputed South Chin Sea. That stance has strained relations between Manila and Beijing. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said the Marcos administration would continue to shift the military's role from battling a weakening communist insurgency to focusing on external defense, specially in the disputed South China Sea, a vital global trade route where confrontations between Chinese and Philippine coast guard and naval forces have intensified in recent years. 'The president's statements were, we would be unyielding and resistant to Chinese aggression in the West Philippines Sea," Teodoro said in an interview by the ABS-CBN TV network, using the Philippine name for the stretch of disputed waters off the western Philippine coast. 'We've been gearing up towards that mission." Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Marcos in the White House for talks on tariffs, trade and further boosting their countries' treaty alliance. After returning to Manila, Marcos traveled to an evacuation center outside Manila to help distribute food and other aid to villagers displaced by back-to-back storms and days of monsoon downpours that have flooded vast stretches of the main northern Luzon region, including Manila. More than 6 million people were affected by the onslaught, which left more than 30 others dead, mostly due to drownings, landslides and falling trees. (AP) NSA NSA view comments First Published: July 28, 2025, 15:45 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Confronted by crises, Philippine president delivers state of the nation speech
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is delivering his state of the nation speech while confronting diverse crises midway through his six-year term, including recent deadly storms with more than 120,000 people encamped in emergency shelters, turbulent ties with the vice president and escalating territorial disputes with Beijing in the South China Sea. About 22,000 policemen were deployed Monday to secure the House of Representatives complex in suburban Quezon city in the capital region before Marcos' address to both chambers of Congress, top government and military officials and diplomats. Thousands of protesters staged rallies to highlight a wide range of demands from higher wages due to high inflation to the immediate impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte over a raft of alleged crimes. Marcos' rise to power in mid-2022, more than three decades after an army-backed 'People Power' revolt overthrew his father from office and into global infamy, was one of the most dramatic political comebacks. But he inherited a wide range of problems, including an economy that was one of the worst-hit by the coronavirus pandemic, which worsened poverty, unemployment, inflation and hunger. His whirlwind political alliance with Duterte rapidly floundered and she and her family, including her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, became her harshest critics. The former president was arrested in March in a chaotic scene at Manila's international airport and flown to be detained by the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands for an alleged crime against humanity over his deadly anti-drugs crackdowns while still in power. Sara Duterte became the first vice president of the Philippines to be impeached in February by the House of Representatives, which is dominated by Marcos' allies, over a range of criminal allegations including largescale corruption and publicly threatening to have the president, his wife and Romualdez killed by an assassin if she herself were killed during her disputes with them. The Supreme Court ruled Friday that the impeachment case was unconstitutional due to a key procedural technicality, hampering Duterte's expected trial in the Senate, which has convened as an impeachment tribunal. House legislators said they were planning to appeal the decision. Unlike his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, who nurtured cozy ties with China and Russia, Marcos broadened his country's treaty alliance with the United States and started to deepen security alliances with Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada France and other Western governments to strengthen deterrence against increasingly aggressive actions by China in the disputed South Chin Sea. That stance has strained relations between Manila and Beijing. Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said the Marcos administration would continue to shift the military's role from battling a weakening communist insurgency to focusing on external defense, specially in the disputed South China Sea, a vital global trade route where confrontations between Chinese and Philippine coast guard and naval forces have intensified in recent years. 'The president's statements were, we would be unyielding and resistant to Chinese aggression in the West Philippines Sea,' Teodoro said in an interview by the ABS-CBN TV network, using the Philippine name for the stretch of disputed waters off the western Philippine coast. 'We've been gearing up towards that mission.' After returning to Manila, Marcos traveled to an evacuation center outside Manila to help distribute food and other aid to villagers displaced by back-to-back storms and days of monsoon downpours that have flooded vast stretches of the main northern Luzon region, including Manila.
