Minding the gaps: Looking at the first three years of the Marcos admin

A six-year presidency may feel long or short depending on performance. Regardless of who holds the office—or how history ultimately judges it—it’s always wise to pause periodically and assess whether an administration is living up to its promises.
Three years into President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s term, the Philippines stands at a critical inflection point. The first half of his tenure laid down important legal and infrastructural foundations.
The next three years must build on that groundwork and ensure that headline numbers translate into real-world improvements for every Filipino household.
On the ground, many citizens still feel the pinch of poverty and hunger. An April Social Weather Stations survey found that 55% of Filipinos consider themselves poor, while 19.1% report involuntary hunger; in the same month, over 38% of the labor force said they felt jobless peaking at 41.7% in March.
A Pulse Asia poll confirms these anxieties: 70% of households rank inflation as their top concern, followed by 34% worried about wages and 26% about job creation.
Yet official data tell a longer-term success story. Poverty among Filipino families has fallen from 21% percent in 2006 to just 10.9% in 2023—effectively halving within two decades. Over that span, the income gap between the richest and poorest deciles narrowed from 19.4 to 1 down to 6.2 to 1, and the Gini coefficient improved from 0.458 to 0.391 .
These gains reflect more—and better—employment opportunities alongside targeted social programs that help poor families invest in health, education and livelihood.
So why does the public’s lived reality still lag behind the rosy long-term numbers? Part of the answer lies in underemployment: while the Philippine Statistics Authority reports an unemployment rate of 3.9 percent, underemployment remains elevated at 13.4%.
Many available jobs are part-time, informal or low-paid, leaving families vulnerable to price shocks. Bridging that divide means not just creating more jobs, but enhancing their quality and ensuring incomes grow faster than costs of living.
The Marcos administration appears keenly aware of these stakes—and its legislative record bears that out. That clarity was evident early in this term, when President Marcos Jr. and his allies at the House of Representatives triggered landmark reforms.
They overhauled the Public-Private Partnership Code to establish a clear, standardized framework for collaboration on roads, airports, railways and other large-scale projects—cutting bureaucratic red tape, strengthening contract enforcement and sharpening dispute-resolution mechanisms so that investors and government alike can rely on faster, more predictable outcomes.
At the same time, legislators passed the Ease of Paying Taxes Act, modernizing the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s processes to protect taxpayer rights, simplify registration and enable online filing and payment from anywhere—measures that reduce compliance burdens, boost transparency and ultimately raise more revenue for public priorities. Riding that momentum, the CREATE MORE Act refined the incentives regime to make corporate tax breaks globally competitive, predictable and accountable, directing relief to strategic industries that promise high productivity gains and quality job creation.
Furthermore, the Capital Markets Efficiency Promotion Act streamlined tax treatment of Philippine Stock Exchange transactions, lowered barriers for new issuers and encouraged broader public participation in capital markets—deepening the pool of domestic savings available to fuel growth-oriented enterprises.
Collectively, these reforms have strengthened national institutions, boosted investor confidence and laid the groundwork for sustained economic expansion .
An integral part of this agenda is infrastructure. Through the Build Better More program, the government has invested heavily in modernizing transportation networks, expanding digital connectivity and upgrading energy and water systems—critical pillars of inclusive, long-term growth.
Nationwide, these projects employ thousands in construction, engineering and maintenance, generating immediate jobs while knitting together a more competitive economy.
Late in the 19th Congress, lawmakers also approved the Accelerated and Reformed Right-of-Way (ARROW) Act, now awaiting presidential signature.
By streamlining land acquisition for government and public service providers, the ARROW Act is designed to cut costly delays, lower project costs and fast-track major infrastructure undertakings—creating further employment opportunities and making the Philippines an even more attractive destination for investors .
Despite these legislative and infrastructural milestones, the true test of the next three years will be translating policy wins into tangible improvements in Filipino lives.
While investor confidence is on the rise with the Philippines ranking 13th among emerging markets in the 2024 Kearney FDI Confidence Index, such rankings only matter if they spark real-wage growth, stable employment and reliable public services in every barangay.
To close the gap between numbers on a report and the lived experience of millions, the administration must couple its bold infrastructure push with finely targeted social initiatives. Supporting the expansion of technical-vocational training and localized livelihood programs can create jobs that match the skills and needs of communities.
Likewise, strengthening rural healthcare, improving the quality of public education and expanding digital literacy will help underemployed workers access higher-value opportunities. Every peso invested must yield measurable benefits for those below and on the borderline of poverty
The private sector has a critical role. Businesses can partner in community-driven projects, adopt inclusive hiring practices and invest in upskilling programs that narrow the gap between demand for skilled labor and the local talent pool.
By working hand-in-hand with government, firms can help sustain a virtuous cycle of job creation, poverty reduction and rising consumer demand.
As President Marcos Jr. enters the crucial second half of his term, the imperative is clear: convert legislative and investment momentum into everyday security and prosperity for Filipino families.
Success won’t be measured by GDP growth alone, but by whether households can sleep easier knowing food is on the table, wages keep pace with costs, and communities connect to modern roads, reliable power and fast internet.
If the next three years see every reform and every project align around that human-centered goal, this presidency can become not only a story of policy achievement, but a catalyst for genuine, shared progress.
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