Marcos must regain trust as polls near–analysts
Public trust in President Marcos will depend on whether his administration can turn key reforms into tangible gains before political campaigning for the 2028 elections overshadows governance, experts said.
They warned, during a Democracy Watch Philippines post-State of the Nation Address (Sona) forum over the weekend, that the Marcos administration has a limited window to restore public confidence in government institutions, particularly in the wake of alleged corruption in flood control projects.
They said rebuilding public trust should be a shared effort, with the government engaging citizens as active partners in governance.
‘Sense of quality of life’
Ronald Holmes, president of Pulse Asia Research, grounded the discussion in lived realities, noting that 61 percent of Filipinos still classify themselves as poor or very poor based on their most recent survey.
“What we’ve seen in our own data is that the sense of the quality of life compared to the past year and the quality of life in the coming year, the people’s optimism has declined,” Holmes said.
He warned that when Filipinos feel their “lived realities have not changed or have actually deteriorated and will not change positively,” they risk becoming either indifferent or increasingly distrustful of government institutions.
Stratbase Institute president and Democracy Watch coconvener Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit shared that view, saying that while the Marcos administration touts significant leads, it remains to be felt by ordinary Filipinos.
He cited a recent Pulse Asia survey showing the primary concern of 30 percent of Filipinos remains affordable food and the elimination of corruption.
“With only two years, the President should not simply focus on announcing reforms,” Manhit said. “The challenge now is demonstrating that policies already put in place are producing measurable improvements in governance, public services, and the economy. Implementation will ultimately define this administration’s legacy.”
Pulse Asia’s July survey showed majority of Filipinos have a negative assessment of Mr. Marcos, with his trust and approval ratings dipping to 28 and 29 percent, respectively.
His disapproval rating also went up to 50 percent from 45 percent in March, while Vice President Sara Duterte continued to enjoy majority approval and trust ratings despite facing serious charges in an impeachment trial.
Accountability chain
For political scientist Julio Teehankee, the administration should use the remaining months after last week’s Sona and before 2027 to fulfill its commitments.
He warned of a “narrowing window” for legislative action as the campaign period for the 2028 elections approaches.
Teehankee said the country had a “window of opportunity” to pass a meaningful antipolitical dynasty law triggered by public anger over the flood control scandal.
“Two years is enough because two years is an eternity in Philippine politics. But on the other hand, if you count the days, weeks, months, soon Congress will go into recess again, and next year it will be campaign season again,” he said.
He described the dominance of dynasties—which occupy about 80 percent of elected posts—as a distortion of the country’s political marketplace, arguing that regulation was necessary to make Philippine democracy more inclusive.
Governance expert Francisco “Kiko” Magno said the country could not overcome corruption solely through post-hoc investigations. He advocated instead an accountability chain spanning from disclosure to asset recovery.
“Transparency is not enough … Information must lead to investigation, corrective action, sanctions, asset recovery, and institutional learning,” Magno said.
He also pushed for prevention mechanisms in government systems through digitalization to reduce discretionary face-to-face transactions.
Several of Mr. Marcos’ priority measures under the 20th Congress were meant to promote good governance and transparency.
Aside from the antipolitical dynasty bill, Mr. Marcos, through the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council, is also pushing for Right to Information Act or the Freedom of Information Act, Progressive Budgeting for Better and Modernized Governance Act, the Citizen Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability Act, and the Independent People’s Commission Act.
He has also urged Congress to pass the Banking Reform for Integrity, Good Governance, Honesty, and Transparency Act, pushed for amendments to the Bank Deposits Secrecy Act and the Anti-Money Laundering Act, and a comprehensive review of the Local Government Code.
Project Compass
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) rolled out new digital tools to restore trust through independent verification.
During the forum, Budget Secretary Kim Robert de Leon and Undersecretary Wilford Wong detailed the launch of Project Compass, which would allow citizens to trace the movement of public funds from the initial budget proposal to actual disbursement.
The DBM also committed to expand Project Dime (Digital Information Monitoring and Evaluation) through the use of satellite imagery, drones, and geotagging to verify the physical progress of infrastructure projects.
