Three years into Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration, two questions hang in the air: How is the Philippine economy faring and how are Filipinos surviving? At the recent IBON BirdTalk Midyear 2025, IBON executive director Sonny Africa said there are more poor and hungry Filipinos despite the accomplishments Marcos enumerated in his 2024 State of the Nation Address

The past year saw delays in some of the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administration’s biggest peacemaking commitments: the Bangsamoro parliamentary elections and peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.

Acknowledging that the drug menace persists, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has renewed his “bloodless” campaign against both drug syndicates and small-scale drug dealers.

In his past three State of the Nation Addresses, Marcos has consistently vowed to stand firm on his administration’s independent foreign policy and defense of the country's sovereign rights in the WPS while maintaining good relations with other countries.