By TONY LOPEZ
The arrest and trial of former President Rodrigo Duterte in The Hague for crimes against humanity. The impeachment and trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. The vigorous campaign against the P1.4-trillion flood control corruption and its perpetrators. The Iran War. The 48th ASEAN Summit, May 8, 2026, in Cebu and the leaders’ summit in Manila in November 2026.
These milestones and developments have put in sharp relief the leadership and management style of Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr., the 17th Philippine president.
In assessing BBM’s presidency, after four years and two months, remember the three Rs. I am not talking of the three Rs of basic education—reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic, the three Rs where the average 15-year-old Filipino fails dismally, by global standards. The average 15-year-old cannot read, cannot write, cannot count.
In BBM’s three Rs—he passes with flying colors, if not magnificently. The three Rs—restoration, resilience, reimagine.
Restoration
After 36 years in the political doldrums, BBM has restored the Marcos name as a viable and strong brand that can capture the highest national office hands down. In the May 2022 presidential elections, Marcos Jr. won 31.6 million votes—the greatest number of votes ever won by a presidential winner. The 31.6 million was 58.77% of the total votes cast. This is the first time since 1969 (when Ferdinand Marcos Sr. won with 61.47%) that the presidential winner bagged the majority of the total votes cast.
Marcos Jr. restored the gold standard in winning the presidency by a majority vote of voters. From 1992 to 2016, previous winners were just minority presidents—Fidel Ramos, 23.58%; Joseph Estrada, 39.86%; Gloria Arroyo, 39.99%; and Noynoy Aquino, 39%. There is no official record that Cory Aquino won the presidency. She was proclaimed president by People Power.
5.8% growth average in four years
Marcos Jr. restored economic growth to a robust and sustainable growth path, despite extreme challenges – an average of 5.8% in four years. Rodrigo Duterte averaged a 2.45% GDP growth rate in his first four years. BBM averaged a robust 5.8% in his first full four years—7.6% in 2022, 5.5% in 2023, 5.7% in 2024, and 4.4% in 2025.
BBM restored the way the drug problem should be minimized, if not licked. Through rehabilitation of victims and prosecution of drug criminals—not through mass murder on a massive scale.
BBM has restored decency in governance. He exposed the largest act of corruption ever –the systematic stealing of P1.4 trillion of flood control money.
He said he is not the president of his family, nor is he the president of his friends.
Accordingly, he has cleared the filing of charges against his cousin, former speaker Martin Romualdez.
The scam is breathtaking in its simplicity and execution. Think of flood control projects along rivers and usually flooded areas. Assign coordinates. The DPWH engineers did that. Assign cost. The DPWH engineers did that. Allocate the money through the national budget. The congressmen and the Senators did that. Then pocket the money. Do not start or complete the projects.
Martin charged
In the House, the alleged syndicate leaders were Speaker Martin Romualdez and his COO for the racket, Ako Bicol party-list congressman Zaldy Co. In the Senate, the alleged syndicate leaders were Senate President Chiz Escudero and Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada. Plus former Senators Bong Revilla and Nancy Binay.
Of course, First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos has her own restoration work. She restored the elegance and beauty of Malacañang Palace (including building clean and well-maintained toilets).
The Bahay Pangulo official residence; the Teus, Laperal and Goldenberg mansions; the Philippine International Convention Center; the Pasig River, and the PhilTrade, now the Likhang Filipino exhibit halls.
Agriculture
BBM restored agriculture as one of the economy’s main engines of growth. He restored the dignity of farmers—610,000 of them, by condoning their debts of P57 billion. Agriculture is now one of the fastest-growing sectors of the economy; 2.6% in 2025, from -1.8% in 2024, 1.1% in 2023, and a dismal 0.20% for 20 years.
Zero hunger is targeted by 2030, with a P297 billion budget for agriculture in 2026, including P10 billion for rice for all, P30 billion to modernize the rice industry, and P33 billion for farm to market roads.
The opposite of restoration is ouster.
Duterte trial
Digong Duterte was removed from the Philippine political milieu with his arrest in March 2025 and his full trial beginning this year in the Netherlands for crimes against humanity.
VP Sara Duterte’s impeachment by the House (by 257, 81% of congressmen) and her trial by the Senate—for bribery, misuse of confidential funds, corruption, unexplained wealth, murder of drug victims, and the plot to assassinate Marcos Jr., Mrs. Louise Araneta Marcos, and Martin Romualdez—will mean Duterte will be a dead political brand by 2028.
With the Anti-Money Laundering Council’s systematic recording and monitoring of her bank accounts, where at least P6.77 billion was transacted, in the public perception, Sara is a multi-billionaire, the origin of whose wealth cannot be explained.
Resilience
The above narration also shows the resilience of the Marcos political name and leadership quality.
It narrates too the resiliency of the Philippine economy, which is today worth $512 billion ($1.7 trillion in PPP dollars), the 30th largest in the world.
Reimagine
Imagine the Philippines as the most strategically located country in Asia. Manila is just hours away from Asia’s major business and financial capitals—Beijing, Tokyo, and Singapore. The two great powers, the United States and China, both covet the Philippines for trade, economic, security and strategic reasons. The US military presence in the Philippines (nine bases) is proof of its hegemonic intention in Asia, the US being also a Pacific power. Of course, China does not want a threat, real or imagined, in its own backyard.