“All after 100 days of foolishness, fear, and suffering”
By Kat Ulrike
Ever since Ferdinand Marcos Jr. came to power, the thermidor under the past Duterte administration has made its way into a Marcosian restoration. Supported by entrenched interests and apologists yearning to restore the old order, the current regime is becoming more than just securing their ill-gotten wealth and perpetuate their political dynasty, but to keep firm further as those who "invested" in both past and current administrations consolidating further their interests all at the expense of the people.
However, as long as these entrenched interests continue to benefit from the regime, the country's situation deteriorates. Marcos jr's policies and plans, like Duterte's, are merely rehashes of previous policies and plans, particularly in terms of economic policy- that, contrary to their promises, the Filipino people saw no improvement in their living conditions during the first 100 days, instead seeing issues within the cabinet, of growing mistrust within the "Uniteam" tandem, while the folk face additional economic challenges as they struggle to earn enough money to put food on their tables on a daily basis.
For the past few months, Marcos has done virtually nothing to address the public's widespread desire for lower prices on basic commodities and services, particularly oil, food, and medicine. With phrases like "inflation is not that high," it downplays data from its own statistics agency showing that inflation rose to 6.1% in June. Three months later, inflation has risen to 6.9%, driven by high import oil prices, resulting in a rapid decline in people's living standards. Such blatant disregard for the people's economic plight in the face of rising prices, low wages, widespread unemployment, and a lack of public services contradicts the regime's promise of betterment, as Marcos, his policymakers, and minions in Congress have ignored calls for immediate economic assistance, wage increases, and price-cutting measures. Such blatant disregard for the people's economic plight in the face of rising prices, low wages, widespread unemployment, and a lack of public services contradicts the regime's promise of betterment, as Marcos, his policymakers, and minions in Congress have ignored calls for immediate economic assistance, wage increases, and price-cutting measures. They have reduced social spending in favour of huge foreign-funded infrastructure projects that enrich interests mainly foreign contractors, their local partners, and corrupt big bureaucrats.
Furthermore, the regime maintained the neoliberal agenda through the implementation of the Retail Trade Liberalization Act, the Public Service Act, and modifications to the Foreign Investments Act. Again, contrary to the rhetoric of national regeneration, the legislation enacted by the previous Duterte administration in response to demands from the US government and businessmen further reinforce imperialist economic dominance in the country. And while Filipinos are constantly fleeced by hefty taxes and workplace repression, Marcos intends to reward foreign firms with tax cuts and fewer rules for taking use of the country's cheap labour and natural resources. Authorities insist that the laws are all intended to bring recovery after the pandemic crisis, while ignoring the consequences, which include high commodity and service prices, higher taxes, and fewer regulations in workplaces and the environment—all for the whims of entrenched local and foreign interests.
His supporters as well as that of the past administration will cling to their support as they belittle any accurate data including that from the government; insisting the “efforts” of the administration as enough to suffice the problem even tho it isn’t. The so-called efforts to suffice the problem using neoliberalism rather aggravates as most countries, especially that of the United States resorted to pandemic-induced trade protectionism. The lack of strong industrial base, the failure to pursue genuine agrarian reform, and a deficient social policy especially in health services outweighs the promises of industrialisation, of improving labor standards including that of health workers in need of better pay and working conditions. Meanwhile, countries like the United States, are trying to protect their jobs and businesses as the pandemic-induced recession disrupted the entire neoliberal-globalist order and its trade routes. Thus, in the face of a continuing slowdown in global capitalist centres and rising recessionary threats, the economic plan brought by Marcos jr., like those of his predecessors will only push the country deeper into economic crisis, deepening its backward, agrarian, and non-industrial state, depending on dollar remittances and concessions to “stay afloat” amidst crisis.
Speaking of concessions, the current regime continues to kowtow to both American and Chinese interests while pretending to be non-aligned like his predecessor. “A friend to all and an enemy to none” as being claimed of, as the administration continues to remain subservient in every agreement verbatim while claiming to be “patriotic”. That before the United Nations, Marcos made no demand that China respect the International Arbitral Tribunal's July 2016 ruling in favour of the country's territorial claims under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), while on the other hand, he recently granted permission for over 2,550 American soldiers to use the country and armed forces for US war exercises, which are aimed at increasing military tensions in the West Philippine Sea. Putting the country in grave danger of getting caught between the United States and China.
For the order, it makes no difference whether the visit to Singapore and its grand prix, of turning a state visit to a family affair like in New York, or Sara Duterte's message in Mandarin and the use of presidential helicopter for “personal use”, are altogether controversial, because the reactions to the first 100 days demonstrated the country's political polarisation. Those who praised Marcos and Duterte are associated with them, while those who criticised the regime are associated with the opposition, think tanks, and credible analysts. Of course, the former will fanatically defend their idol as they assert words like “unity” to that of trolling the opposition; but the latter, having facts as basis to oppose the moves of the order would say that in the face of worsening sufferings and state neglect, the Filipino people have no choice but to speak up and assert and defend their rights and welfare. All this, despite the brutal "war on drugs" that continues unabated in the name of "peace and order" and against the poor, to red-tagging and harassment of concerned individuals and groups, as attacks on press freedom and people's freedom of expression continue unabated- with the police and military continuing to blur the distinction between civilians and armed combatants in violation of international humanitarian law.
It’s easy to discern whose comments make sense. As people increasingly seeking truth from facts it becomes a problem for the order as the people themselves know the truth that is, contrary to their narrative.