Political Analysis

Widening power rifts in Philippine politics as the 2028 elections are in the horizon; corruption deepens; tensions grow in East Asia while Donald Trump attacks Venezuela in a bid to reinstall America’s sphere of influence in the western hemisphere     I. PHILIPPINE POLITICS   Corruption, Accountability, and the Marcos-Duterte Rift   Breakdown of the Marcos Jr.-Sara Duterte dynastic alliance     The Marcos-Duterte entente has collapsed, one-and-a half years since the unravelin

PHILIPPINE POLITICS  November 2025 saw the government corruption scandal escalating even more dramatically.    These have included arrests of officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials, travel bans on dozens of lawmakers and contractors, the filing of cases before the Ombudsman and Sandiganbayan (anti-graft court), and declaration by investigators that up to 1,200 individuals may face charges. State efforts at investigation expanded through unit

Synthesis This paper seeks to explore and analyze the Marcos Jr. administration’s consolidation of power amid a deepening crisis of legitimacy. It argues that the regime’s trajectory reveals a governance model anchored in elite accommodation, technocratic spectacle, and the selective use of reformist discourse to obscure entrenched patronage and authoritarian tendencies. While early efforts at regime-building enabled the alignment of key institutions—the legislature, judiciar

Challenges and missed opportunities Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) Published on 05 November 2025     Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. is leading the country into a deeper alliance with the US that can thrust the country into a potential unwinnable confrontation with China. Under him, diplomacy has taken a backseat whether in relation to China or the US. In the new multipolar world, Marcos should prudently steer the country away from a policy

Political Briefer Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG)  October 2025   Introduction From late September to the end of October 2025, the Philippines entered one of its most politically volatile periods since the post-EDSA transition.  A massive corruption scandal involving billions of pesos in public funds (particularly for flood-control projects) ignited widespread outrage, triggered investigations, exposed patronage networks across political camps, and revive

COMMENTARY By Hector A. Barrios, CenPEG Senior Fellow and Trustee October 15, 2025 Introduction Every year, the branches of government – Executive, Congress, Judiciary and Constitutional Commissions -- prepare their respective operating and capital plans for the next year. These plans embody what they want to achieve (objectives), how they intend to achieve them (operations and projects), and how much they need to implement them. We call the whole thing simply the 'budget.' T

COMMENTARY By Hector A. Barrios, CenPEG Fellow and Trustee October 1, 2025 Government is, of course, accountable for all its acts. The...

Political Briefer Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG)  August 2025   Introduction Philippine politics in August 2025 is...

As Congress deliberates on the proposed ₱6.793 trillion national budget for 2026, the Center for People Empowerment in Governance...