MANILA – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr kickstarted his third, and arguably most consequential, State of the Nation Address ( SONA ) this week with a clear sense of urgency.
The Filipino chief has suffered declining approval ratings as a result of continuing to receive bulk support in authentic surveys, despite the country posting the fastest growth rate in the area last month. This is because of perceived frailty in handling monetary issues.
According to Pulse Asia’s third fourth study, the Marcos Jr management had a net bad 71 % approval rating in handling prices, which has consistently topped the “most serious” list of voter concerns.
Only 5 % of respondents were in favor of his handling of the country’s struggling prices for the past two decades. Even though general prices are in one digits and well below disturbed emerging markets like Argentina and Turkey, the majority of Filipinos who reside near the poverty line are affected by even slight price increases in basic goods.
In particular, charges of staple items like grain have picked up in recent years. This has had a particularly negative impact on Marcos Jr., who had vowed to reduce the cost of basic food staples and start a new period of financial prosperity.
A gram of rice is almost three times the average market value as of the date of his promise to increase in 2022.  , If anything, the Marcos Jr administration has also performed poorly on other top voter concerns, including poverty alleviation ( net -34 % ), wage increases ( net -15 % ) and hunger alleviation ( net -9 % ), although he scored a barely positive ( net 2 percent ) on job creation amid rapid gross domestic product ( GDP ) growth rates in recent years.
Just as concerning, nevertheless, is Marcos Jr’s declining respect ranking, which reached a low of 52 % – well below historical trends, especially under former president for as Rodrigo Duterte and Benigno Aquino, who had enjoyed super-majority support at this stage in their stints.  ,
In fact, the president ranked below both Senate President Francis Escudero ( 69 % ) and, crucially, Vice President Sara Duterte ( 71 % ), who boycotted this year’s SONA following her resignation from Marcos Jr’s cabinet.
If anything, Duterte has positioned herself as the de facto leader of the major opposition at next week’s midterm elections. Before his political battle with his former allies, the Dutertes, Marcos Jr wasted no time to unite the nation’s elite and form a fresh coalition.
In his annual address to the joint government, Marcos Jr. set his priorities for his second year in office, stating that” the painful lesson of this last year has made very clear that whatever existing information happily proclaiming our country as one of the best-performing in Asia, means nothing to a Filipino.”
We were forced to temporarily implement mandated price caps on rice because of compelling emergency circumstances like illegal price manipulation by hoarders and smuggling, he continued, highlighting the impact of external factors on the high prices of basic goods.
To reassure voters, he claimed that his government has seized 2.7 billion pesos ( US$ 46.2 million ) worth of smuggled agriculture and fishery products, which would be redistributed to the poorest communities.
Marcos Jr., the former acting agriculture secretary, added that his administration will construct 1,200 kilometers of farm-to-market roads by the end of the year to lower transportation costs and lower overall costs of good commodities.
He added that his government would irrigate about 45, 000 hectares of new agricultural land this year while restoring irrigation to almost 39, 000 hectares of land in an effort to increase agricultural productivity.  ,
The president also brought up climate change and the negative effects of a prolonged, more severe El Nio drought this year, which had a negative impact on domestic agricultural production.
It’s unlikely to attract back support from ensnared voters at the lower socio-economic levels unless the Marcos Jr administration significantly increases the supply of subprimed rice. The nation is also paying the price for domestic production underinvestment, which results in an excessive dependence on imported food commodities.
Marcos Jr. also acknowledged structural barriers to economic security and the decline in foreign direct investment, which was down by almost a third in April on a year-on-year basis. Accordingly, he promised to review existing laws, which disastrously privatized critical sectors such as power and electricity production.
The EPIRA [ Electric Power Industry Reform Act ] is being reviewed and thoroughly examined to determine whether it is still appropriate for our current circumstances or whether it needs to be amended. In reference to the 2001 law that gave private suppliers the authority to effectively dictate power rates in the country, which are among the highest in the Asia-Pacific region, I am asking Congress to work together on this for the sake of the Filipino people,” Marcos Jr. stated.
In the upcoming months, Marcos vowed to raise the matter among the 28 priority measures that the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council ( LEDA ) will identify as priorities. Given the Filipino president’s personal ties to and reliance on the advice of the country’s oligarchs, however, many doubt that he will enact any dramatic reforms to critical infrastructure.
He might also advocate for competitive electricity and power rates in special economic zones to entice more manufacturing investments, which are essential for the Philippines ‘ long-term development and more inclusive growth.
Meanwhile, Marcos Jr also tried to distinguish himself from the draconian and authoritarian policies of his immediate predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte.
” Extermination was never one of them,” he said, referring to his own less-lethal anti-drug campaign”. The conviction rate for drugs is at a high of 79 %. We applaud the report that, together with this, our country’s barangay population has decreased by 32 %, Marcos continued.  ,
According to the Filipino president, his government conducted 71, 000 anti-drug operations, which have led to the arrest of almost 100, 000 drug personalities as well as the seizure of close to$ 800 million ( 44 billion pesos ) worth of illegal drugs. Human rights groups, however, have claimed that extrajudicial killings remain a serious concern.
As many as 360 deaths were recorded in anti-illegal drug operations between June 30 and July 1 this year, according to the Philippine National Police ( PNP ), the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency ( PDEA ), and the Armed Forces of the Philippines ( AFP).  ,
The measure of success should not only be the absence of violence but how many have been held accountable, said Carlos Conde, a top human rights expert, to the media.  ,
In another major departure from his predecessor, Marcos Jr announced an immediate ban on Chinese-run online casinos, or so-called Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators ( POGOs ), a key and controversial legacy of the Duterte presidency.
” Effective today, all POGOs are banned,’ ‘ Marcos Jr declared, emphasizing growing concerns over” financial scamming, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping, brutal torture, even murder, grave abuse and disrespect to our system of laws must stop.”
” I hereby instruct Pagcor]Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation ] to wind down and cease the operations of POGOs by the end of the year,” he said.
Marcos Jr. reassured that” the DOLE ( Department of Labor and Employment ) shall use the time between now and then to find new jobs for our countrymen who will be displaced” in order to prevent any economic disruptions.
The business community has welcomed the decision with open arms, particularly the renowned Makati Business Club, Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines, and the Management Association of the Philippines, among others. Both have highlighted the negative effects of Chinese online casinos, which are notorious for tax evasion, organized crime, and a meager contribution of only 0.1 % of the GDP of the Philippines.
According to Philippine authorities, 55 % of 31 cases of kidnapping in 2022 were POGO-related, underscoring the grave threat posed by online casinos, which enjoyed a heyday under the Duterte presidency. In perhaps his most consequential and popular departure from Duterte’s policies, Marcos centered on the South China Sea disputes.
” The Philippines cannot yield. In his proudest accomplishment of his year, he declared,” The Philippines cannot waver.” ” We continuously try to find ways to de-escalate tensions in the contested areas without counterparts, without compromising our position and principles”, he added, emphasizing the need for both a firm stance and proactive diplomacy.
In many ways, his third SONA set the tone for his coalition’s impending clash with the Dutertes at next year’s midterm elections, which will serve as a de facto referendum on the two clashing political dynasties.
Follow Richard Javad Heydarian on X at @Richeydarian