There are personalities in the Philippines who say that Marcos Jr.’s presidency and administration are under threat of destabilization. But I contend otherwise. For what it’s worth, if one closely examines his administration, there is no need for destabilizers or a destabilization plot from his critics and political opponents, for it is self-destructing on its own, unraveling by the day.
Like a building that looks sturdy on the outside but is corroding from within, this administration stands tall only in façade, with its foundation cracking under the strain of its own excesses, incompetence, and the moral decay of those who run it.
Let’s call a spade a spade. Marcos Jr. does not need political enemies to bring him down or to fall; his biggest adversaries are his own governance and his undoing comes from within—from the dysfunction of his governance, the self-interest of his immediate and extended family, and the corruption of the very allies he surrounds himself with. In the end, it is not his critics or political opposition that threatens his downfall—it is the rot in his own and within his government.
Domino
Let us start with the economy, the first domino in this chain of self-destruction. The Philippine peso continues to slide, flirting dangerously with ₱60 to the dollar, while inflation eats through household budgets like acid. The government’s explanations, blaming “global headwinds,” sound increasingly hollow given its inability to attract serious foreign investors (FDI) or to stabilize the peso through credible fiscal and economic policy. The numbers don’t lie: GDP growth has slowed to around 4.0, FDI inflows have dropped to around 40%, and business confidence is plummeting. What was once touted as a “new golden age” of economic recovery has turned into a grim exhibit of fiscal/economic mismanagement and lost opportunity.
Yet even economic decline might be survivable if the public still has a high level of trust in the Marcos Jr. administration. But here lies the heart of the implosion: the massive corruption in his government that has haunted it every day. The revelations of enormous fund misuse in flood control projects, the ghost projects, the padded contracts, and the miraculous wealth accumulation of those in the President’s circle and political allies have shredded any pretense of integrity and credibility. His governance now resembles a clique of opportunists, bound not by vision but by vested interests.
When “public service” becomes a euphemism for private enrichment, governance dies quietly, and citizens take notice.
Right to Dissent
Indeed, the latest trust and satisfaction surveys show steep declines in Marcos’s presidency and governance. Disillusionment is spreading, not because of any destabilization plot, but because Filipinos are realizing the rot is internal. The Palace handlers have tried to spin the narrative: blaming “fake news,” “trolls,” “political enemies,” and critics. But the real destabilizer sits in Marcos Jr.’s government, smiling for the cameras while the economy buckles, the bureaucracy rots, and credibility evaporates faster than foreign investment.
If Filipinos are once again taking to the streets, the administration has no one to blame but itself. People don’t march in the heat of the sun or under the rain for fun or to have an escapade. NO! They do so because they are exhausted, disillusioned, and yearning for change in a country that deserves far better. Let’s be clear: public rallies and demonstrations are not acts of “destabilization,” as some personalities like to brand them whenever criticism gets too loud. They are a constitutional right—an expression of sovereignty by the very people from whom all power emanates.
After all, the power that those in high office brandish so proudly is merely on loan from the people. And when the borrowers abuse it, the lenders—the Filipino people—have every right to repossess it. That’s not subversion or destabilization; that’s DEMOCRACY doing what it’s supposed to do.
Conclusion
Mind you, folks, if the Marcos administration is a ship, the leaks are not caused by outside storms. It is sinking because the crew drilled holes in the hull and called it “innovation.” Cabinet reshuffles and PR campaigns cannot patch moral corrosion. When trust collapses and moral decay becomes so imminent, no amount of slogans or expensive propaganda can resuscitate legitimacy, integrity, and people’s trust.
The sad truth is that this presidency and his government are self-destructing. Everyone knows this. This is not rocket science. And if it falls even figuratively and rhetorically speaking, it takes with it not just a family name already burdened by history, but the public’s lost hope that perhaps this time, the son might have done better.
So when the administration’s defenders wail about “destabilization,” let’s remind them: no one is toppling or destabilizing this government. It is doing a fine job destroying itself, and that’s what you call – SELF-DESTRUCTION!
