Marcos Jnr pitches ‘New Philippines’ plan with nod to father’s rule
- The Philippine leader is ‘trying to restore the name of his father’ with a series of programmes that echo those implemented by Marcos Snr
- Addressing inflation concerns and preventing a financial collapse are among priorities for Marcos Jnr in the short term, analysts say
Marcos Jnr has said he plans to use his second State of the Nation Address before Congress to present a performance report to the public. Days before his speech, his administration set the tone with a slogan: “New Philippines”.
The president has to steer one of Asia’s best-performing economies amid a bleak global outlook and domestic challenges that include off-target inflation and elevated borrowing costs. Marcos Jnr has consistently retained wide support from Congress and the public, giving him leeway to push his agenda.
“Marcos’s main reason seems to be trying to restore the name of his father,” said Ateneo de Manila University economics professor Leonardo Lanzona. “He’s saying that a lot of the programmes of his father were not accomplished, so he’s trying to bring them back.”
Several of the Philippine leader’s choices and programmes echo those of his father, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. For one, his secretaries for the agrarian reform and migrant workers are scions of the elder Marcos’ ministers.
Marcos Jnr has also taken a page from his father’s playbook as agriculture chief. One of his flagship programmes called Kadiwa – where the state helps sell farm products directly to consumers – was first implemented in the 1980s when Marcos Snr was in power. Also being revived are rice production and food stamp programmes.
Last week, Marcos Jnr signed a law creating a sovereign wealth fund that is a throwback to the strongman. Its name “Maharlika”, the local word often attributed to nobility, is reminiscent of a guerilla unit that the Marcos Snr supposedly led – a claim historians have since debunked.