President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. racked up 29 promises on social services since he took office three years ago, 20 of them made in his first two State of the Nation Addresses. Of the total, seven have been fulfilled, 18 remain in progress, and the rest are either stalled or failed.
The administration has had the most setbacks addressing issues of healthcare professionals, particularly on allowances due them since 2021 for their work during the pandemic.
Another promise related to COVID-19 was stalled when the government did not allocate a budget for vaccine procurement, made worrisome given the emergence of the Nimbus subvariant this June.
Setbacks aside, the administration had some wins, fulfilling seven pledges dealing mostly with health and nutrition.
Met with wild applause when Marcos announced the plan in his 2022 SONA, the government has fulfilled its promise of establishing 84 “Super Health Centers.” 23 mobile clinics are also active all over the country providing medical access in far-flung, rural areas.
Last year, Marcos directed the Department of Health to campaign for proper diet
to fight stunting and malnutrition, emphasizing the importance of the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition priority areas.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development is also set to serve over 750,000 malnourished families this year with increased funding of its Food Stamp Program.
Ahead of Marcos’ fourth SONA on July 28, VERA Files looked back at the president’s 29 promises.
