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Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

President of the Philippines

Appears in 3 stories

Born: September 13, 1957 (age 68 years), Santa Mesa, Manila, Philippines
Previous offices: Secretary of Agriculture of Philippines (2022–2023), Senator of the Philippines (2010–2016), and Governor of Ilocos Norte (1998–2007)
Education: Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (1979–1981), University of Oxford (1975–1978), Worth School (1970–1974), and more
Spouse: Louise Marcos (m. 1993)
Children: Ferdinand Alexander Araneta Marcos, Joseph Simon Araneta Marcos, and William Vincent Araneta Marcos

Notable Quotes

"If any Filipino... were killed by a wilful act... [it’s] very, very close to... an act of war." — Marcos Jr., quoted by The Guardian

These challenges are painful, but they also made one thing clear: Real change could no longer wait.

Unprogrammed appropriations are not blank checks. They must never function as open-ended spending authority.

Stories

Indo-Pacific allies weave a web of military pacts as South China Sea tensions mount

Force in Play

Overseeing rapid expansion of Philippine military partnerships

For decades, security in the western Pacific ran through Washington. Countries struck bilateral deals with the United States and, mostly, with no one else. That model is dissolving. On March 27, the Philippines and France signed a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) in Paris — the Philippines' first such pact with a European partner — giving each country's troops a legal basis to train and operate on the other's soil. France now joins the United States, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and Canada on a growing list of nations with military access arrangements in the Philippines, four of which were signed in under two years.

Updated Mar 27

Water cannons on fishermen: Sabina Shoal becomes China–Philippines’ new front line

Force in Play

Balancing deterrence, alliance management, and domestic anger over sea confrontations

A month ago, China's coast guard escalated beyond shoving resupply convoys—it blasted water cannons at small Philippine fishing boats near Sabina (Escoda) Shoal, damaged two vessels, and left three fishermen injured, while Chinese craft allegedly cut anchor lines and boxed out rescuers. Manila filed a diplomatic protest calling the actions "dangerous" and "inhumane." But the pressure hasn't stopped: in early January 2026, Chinese naval and coast guard vessels appeared during a search-and-rescue operation off Zambales—closer to the Philippine mainland than the usual reef flashpoints.

Updated Jan 11

Philippines slashes discretionary spending amid flood control scandal

Rule Changes

Signed 2026 budget with P92.5B vetoes; faces plunder charge recommendations implicating him in P100B insertion scheme

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed a $115 billion budget on January 5, 2026, while vetoing $1.6 billion in unprogrammed appropriations—slashing discretionary funds to their lowest level since 2019. The move follows months of scandal after former lawmaker Zaldy Co admitted to inserting $1.69 billion in phantom flood control projects into the 2025 budget, implicating Marcos's own cousin, then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez, in an alleged kickback scheme. Co remains at large abroad while seven of sixteen co-accused in the first criminal case are now in custody. In early January 2026, eight DPWH officials pleaded not guilty at their Sandiganbayan arraignment for graft charges over a $4.9 million ghost project.

Updated Jan 5