As is the case with all leaders in democratic systems of government, President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. faces the spotlight during his first 100 days as the public weighs in on whether or not he has delivered on promises made during the campagin and inaugural rites.
The Marcos administration has implemented reforms and taken actions in the areas of post-pandemic economic recovery, addressing rising food costs, strengthening foreign relations, and many more.
But while Marcos made headway on several developments, his administration has at times drawn criticisms.
Criticisms against Marcos during the Karding onslaught
Marcos has been at the forefront in times of crises. For instance, after the magnitude 7.0 earthquake jolted Luzon in July, he flew the next day to Abra to check on the situation of affected communities, and personally see the extent of the damages.
But he did not make any public appearances during the recent typhoon Karding's onslaught on September 25, Sunday.
On that day, typhoon Karding intensified into a super typhoon and the PAGASA raised Tropical Cyclone Wind signals in different areas of Luzon. The state weather bureau hoisted Signal no. 5 in Polillo Island where Karding first landed in the afternoon.
Marcos arrived on early Sunday morning from the United States where he attended and spoke at the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
As many areas were battered by the typhoon in the evening, social media was abuzz with comments criticizing thge lack of response from the administration. There were no public situation briefings or reported disaster response operations.
Meanwhile, amidst his absence during the critical hours, Marcos posted the newest Youtube vlog of his New York trip. This post drew flak among citizens. Many claimed that Marcos prioritizes uploading the video over mobilizing government agencies to respond to the situation.
This prompted the public to demand immediate action from the Marcos admin through the hashtag #NasaanAngPangulo on social media platforms.
But the following day, on Monday morning, Marcos presided over a situation briefing with top government officials at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) office in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
He then held a press conference to report the particular assistance that the government was doing for the affected regions back then. Afterward, Marcos conducted an aerial inspection of the provinces of Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, and Tarlac which were among the severely affected.
Marcos criticized over events and parties
Marcos also received flak for his unannounced weekend trip to Singapore.
Over the first weekend of October, photos went viral on social media of Marcos with his son Ilocos 1st district Rep. Sandro Marcos and cousin House Speaker Martin Romualdez watching the Formula One Grand Prix.
The F1 Grand Prix is a high-class international racing event. It is also known as the most expensive race in Singapore.
On Monday, Oct. 3, Malacañang ended the speculations and confirmed that Marcos flew to Singapore. Former press secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles described the Singapore visit as “productive”, reasoning that Marcos “strengthened the talks” discussed in his last state there and continued in persuading them to invest in the country.
Following this, Marcos himself confirmed his Singapore getaway.
In a Facebook post, he said the F1 Grand Prix in Singapore served as the best platform to “drum up business” for the Philippines.
Although the purpose of his visit to Singapore was for pursuing foreign investment, it did not sit well with various groups.
For labor group, Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), Marcos' trip to Singapore to watch the F1 Grand Prix was an “insult” to workers and citizens.
"Hindi pa nga nakakabangon ang mga nasalanta ng Bagyong Karding kung saan may nagbuwis ng buhay na mga rescuers at maraming magsasakang nasalanta ang pananim, at habang patuloy ang pagtaas ng presyo ng mga bilihin at pamasahe at mababa pa rin ang sahod ng mga manggagawa, anong inaatupag ni Marcos Jr? Ang panonood ng F1 Grand Prix sa Singapore," the group lamented in a statement.
The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), meanwhile, called the trip “insensitive, unnecessary and irresponsible“ as the country’s economy is in turmoil and many Filipinos are still recuperating from the aftermath of typhoon Karding.
The group also probed on how much the Filipino taxpayers were paying for his unannounced trip.
The Malacañang was urged earlier to disclose full transparency regarding the trip, particularly who funded it. Newly sworn-in Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin claimed that there is no need to be particular about the funds' sources.
“If that was the trip of the President, you don’t need to be particular about where the funds were sourced because he is doing his job as President when he was [in] abroad. Although that was not an official state visit… Now, whether it was a fully paid trip or not is irrelevant,” he said when asked about the details of Marcos' Singapore trip during an interview with the media on Tuesday, Oct. 4.
Bayan also pointed out that since Marcos sat down in the post, there has been “one party after the another”.
The public has called Marcos and his family for attending various events and holding some birthday parties over the past three months.
Among the parties that the family held so far were Marcos Jr.'s thanksgiving party, Imelda Marcos' 93rd birthday, Liza Araneta's surprise birthday party, and Marcos Jr.'s 65th birthday.
Many Filipinos have voiced their opposition against what they called "lavish" events since the Marcoses returned to Malacañang.
Sugar order fiasco
The sugar importation fiasco was the biggest controversy during the first 100 days of Marcos.
This issue stemmed from Sugar Order (SO) no. 4 directing the importation of 300,000 MT of sugar last August. The SO 4 document was released by the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) containing signatories of Marcos along with former agriculture secretary Leocadio Sebastian and three SRA board members.
The Malacañang then announced that Marcos “did not authorize” the importation proposal and said the resolution was “illegal”.
The Palace began the investigation over the unauthorized signing on behalf of Marcos. The four officials involved then tendered their resignations.
Meanwhile, days after the controversy began, Marcos bared his plan of importing 150,000 MT of sugar due to a possible shortage of supply by October in a Youtube vlog.
But after the Marcos admin began inspecting warehouses and found piles of smuggled sugar imports and stocks, it concluded that the sugar shortage was only “artificial”.
The sugar importation fiasco reached the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. During the hearings, it was found that former executive secretary Victor Rodriguez knew and received the draft of SO4 but ignored it following the pending decision from Marcos.
After weeks of Senate hearing, the panel cleared Rodriguez and sought charges against the four officials for criminal and administrative charges.
