Aggressive reforms to help Marcos cement his legacy

By Chloe Mari A. Hufana, Reporter

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. enters the second half of his six-year term with his long-term legacy in mind, and might be best placed to achieve this if he pursues transformative reforms and avoid being treated like a lame duck for the remainder of his tenure, analysts said.

Mr. Marcos, whose presidency began with promises of stability and prosperity in 2022, now faces pressure to translate rhetoric into results. In his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 28, he pointedly avoided mention of his economic goals during the last half of his term.

Weighing on him is the burden of public expectations to deliver on his campaign promises of cheap rice, a revitalized countryside, and a revival of manufacturing.

Ederson DT. Tapia, a political science professor at the University of Makati, said Mr. Marcos’ midterm SONA suggested the caution of a President focused on survival, with political harmony prioritized over bold reforms that have the potential of throwing Congress into gridlock.

Mr. Tapia noted the administration must shift from “maintenance mode” to pursuing bold, strategic reforms.

According to College of St. Benilde School of Diplomacy and Governance Dean Gary D. Ador Dionisio, the remainder of the President’s time in Malacañang must be focused on pursuing a “remarkable, realistic reform agenda.”

“Given his limited time, the administration must prioritize reforms’ to stabilize our economic foundation in the face of a high debt-to-GDP ratio,” he told BusinessWorld via Messenger chat.

He said these economic reforms must be undertaken with an eye towards reassuring the international community that the Philippines has working institutions that are up to the task of dealing with corrupt officials, as well as opening up the budget to greater public scrutiny, particularly the bicameral deliberations on the budget bill where many so-called “insertions” are made, diluting the impact of the Executive branch’s priority measures.

Mr. Ador Dionisio noted that the administration must pass a national living wage to increase the purchasing power of workers.

During the first half of the administration’s term, Congress failed to pass a legislated wage increase for minimum wage earners. The President also did not mention such measures during his SONA.

While such bills passed in their respective chambers, the House and Senate never agreed on which version to adopt. The House passed a bill to increase the minimum wage for private-sector workers by P200 on the last day of session of the 19th Congress. The Senate had passed similar legislation nearly a year earlier, calling for an increase of P100.

According to the Department of Labor and Employment, almost five million minimum wage earners in 2024 across 14 of the 17 Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPBs) benefited from the pay hikes approved by regional boards, which ranged from P21 to P75.

As of July 2025, the National Capital Region had the highest daily minimum wage P695 for nonfarm workers, while the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao had the lowest at P361.

RTWPBs are authorized to adjust pay rates because they theoretically are best positioned to determine the needs of their respective regions, though in practice their wage adjustments have failed to keep up with the cost of living. A legislated wage hike, on the other hand, represents a one-size-fits-all approach that does not consider regional conditions.

Mr. Marcos has never publicly discouraged a legislated wage hike but has taken a position largely backing the role of RTWPBs.

Jose Enrique A. Africa, executive director of think tank IBON Foundation, urged the administration to adopt an agenda focused on industrialization and structural reform.

Merely passing priority bills endorsed by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) is insufficient if they fail to address deep-rooted issues like agricultural stagnation, deindustrialization, and inadequate public services.

“The best way for the Marcos Jr. administration to avert the early onset of lame-duck status is to shift from the listless performative governance so far to pushing a bold and coherent legislative agenda for industrialization,” he told BusinessWorld via Viber.

“This can be embedded in some of the proposals already raised by the LEDAC and can also leverage rhetoric from his last SONA.”

Mr. Africa said the priorities should be policies focused on short-term welfare, like food security, jobs, and healthcare, while laying the foundation for long-term transformation in agriculture, renewable energy, and transport.

In agriculture, a sector Mr. Marcos gave specific attention to when he became his own Secretary of Agriculture early in his time in office, Mr. Africa called for further support for smallholder farmers to reduce hunger and stimulate agro-industrial development.

Though the administration made P20 rice a centerpiece program, the goal has been haltingly achieved through subsidies and by limiting the beneficiaries to the poorest segments of society. Along the way, it had to declare a food emergency due to rising rice prices.

The Social Weather Stations (SWS) polling organization reported that about 7.5 million families experienced involuntary hunger in March 2025. Involuntary hunger was defined as having nothing to eat at least once in the past three months.

Mr. Tapia noted that agricultural modernization and food security are the kind of reforms with immediate and tangible impact on the lives of ordinary people. Addressing long-standing supply-chain issues and boosting domestic production will help stabilize food prices and reduce dependence on imports.

For jobs and infrastructure, Mr. Africa said the government must expand labor-intensive public employment programs to build essential infrastructure and support skills development.

Infrastructure and digital transformation, according to Mr. Tapia, remain cornerstones of the administration’s “Build Better More” program. Timely completion of flagship projects and the acceleration of e-governance are seen as essential to improving public service efficiency and attracting investment.

The administration must also promote decentralized, community-owned energy systems and reassess privatized water services, Mr. Africa added.

He batted for a wealth tax on billionaires to raise revenue and signal a commitment to equitable development.

Mr. Tapia said the administration must protect the middle class from excessive tax burdens. With debt levels still elevated, he stressed the need for a credible fiscal strategy that can support social and economic priorities without stifling growth.

“If he can deliver visible results in these areas, Marcos can frame his last three years as a period of consolidation and meaningful nation-building rather than drift into political irrelevance,” Mr. Tapia said.

Mr. Africa argued that what is “politically feasible” should not be defined by elite interests alone.

Mr. Ador Dionisio argued for rejoining the International Criminal Court to signal its commitment to human rights despite historical baggage.

Former President Rodrigo R. Duterte, unilaterally left the ICC in 2018 when the tribunal started investigating his war on drugs. He is currently detained at The Hague while awaiting trial for alleged crimes against humanity.

Mr. Ador Dionisio added that the policy agenda should include expanding the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, the cash-transfer program at the core of the national poverty reduction strategy and human capital investment.

He also advocated for super health centers to ease the burden on Department of Health-run hospitals, depoliticizing government aid, and diversifying trade partnerships beyond the US.