PAX

07/09/2025

The DPWH budget, as brought to light by Senator Lacson, is not a simple miscommunication.

It's about a fundamental lack of respect for the process, for the public trust, and for the very institution of governance.

When an undersecretary—a woman by the name of Maria Catalina E. Cabral—allegedly contacts a senator's staff to solicit "insertions" long before a budget is properly debated, she is bypassing the honorable and transparent methods that are meant to protect the people.

​This is a business, but it's a dirty business.

The public, the taxpayers, have put their faith in the government to do what is right.

When officials engage in this kind of quiet dealing, they are betraying that trust for their own benefit or for the benefit of their associates.

Senator Sotto's refusal to participate is a rare show of integrity, but it also raises a powerful question: if his staff was contacted, how many others were?

How many others, in both the House and the Senate, agreed to this unsanctioned arrangement?

​This is a system that has become too comfortable with its own opaqueness.

It operates in the shadows, believing it is above scrutiny. But as the saying goes, a man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man.

A government that doesn't respect the people it serves can never be a real government.

This kind of behavior, where a single person can manipulate a nation's resources for personal gain, must be stopped. It is a stain on the family, and it must be removed.

The public deserves to know who else was contacted and what they chose to do with that information. Only then can we restore the respect that has been lost.

07/09/2025

31/08/2025

The Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Atty.Claire Castro has spoken with a clear and commendably direct voice, and her assessment, I must say, is not without its merits.

She sees in President Bongbong Marcos Jr.'s actions a serious commitment to reform, a welcome deviation from the well-trod path of political inertia.

Her support is founded upon tangible measures: the acceptance of Secretary Manuel Bonoan’s resignation and the appointment of Secretary Vince Dizon as his replacement at the DPWH, along with the subsequent move of Attorney Giovanni Lopez to lead the Department of Transportation.

One can and should agree with her on this point: the very act of a head of state investigating projects within his own administration is a signal of a different kind of leadership.

It is a tacit acknowledgment that the problems are not merely the legacy of a prior government, but a present and pressing danger to the integrity of the state itself.

​To support this move is to support the principle that no institution is above scrutiny and no public servant is beyond reproach.

The creation of an independent commission, in particular, suggests a genuine desire to go beyond the usual bureaucratic remedies.

It is an admission that the system, as it stands, is perhaps not capable of correcting its own course.

It is a necessary and courageous step towards self-purification.

​Thus, we may align with her view. It is an optimistic one, to be sure, but optimism, when it is grounded in decisive action, is a virtue.

The time for mere rhetoric has passed; the time for accountability, it would seem, has arrived.

We shall watch with great interest to see if these deeds live up to the promise of their announcement.

📸 Bilyonaryo.com, Inquirer.net

26/08/2025

The Political Voice of the South: An Examination of the "Duterte State"

Chapter I: The Illusion of Numbers

​A state is not a social media trend; it is a matter of verifiable fact.

The narrative of a "Duterte State" crumbles when one looks at the polls, which represent a more complete picture of public sentiment.

While rallies and gatherings, as reported in the sources, can draw passionate crowds, these numbers are a small fraction of the total population of Visayas and Mindanao.

Data from sources like OCTA Research consistently show that pro-Duterte sentiment, while present, does not constitute a majority.

In fact, support for the Marcos administration and others often outweighs it.

One cannot claim a state when the numbers, when counted honestly, do not add up.

​Chapter II: The Geography of Disunity

​A man’s influence may be strong, but it is not boundless.

The claim of a "Duterte State" suggests a unified and monolithic political bloc, a perception that is not supported by reality.

While his home region of Mindanao is a stronghold, and he has significant allies in the Visayas, the entire area is far from a single entity.

The political loyalty of the more than 45 million people across these islands is not a given.

The sheer scale and diversity of the population and the local political landscape mean that support is fragmented, not universal.

To suggest otherwise is to ignore the complex local allegiances and political interests that exist beyond a single person.

​Chapter III: The Fracture of Loyalty

​A leader is only as strong as the loyalties he commands. The most significant crack in the "Duterte State" narrative is the very public and ongoing rift with the current administration.

The political dynamics and power struggle between the Marcos and Duterte camps have forced a realignment of loyalties, even within their respective bases.

One cannot claim to lead a unified state when its political foundation is publicly at odds with a significant and powerful faction.

The very act of this political struggle demonstrates that the loyalty is not absolute, and the so-called "state" is in fact a battlefield of competing influences.

In matters of respect, a man’s strength is in his alliances, not in a conflict with them.

​In conclusion, the "Duterte State" narrative is a powerful one, but it is more of a symbol than a political reality.

A true and honest perspective, one that looks beyond the surface, reveals that the support for the former president is strong, but not total, and the political landscape is fragmented, not unified.

It is a lesson that in politics, as in life, a man must look at the facts as they are, not as he wishes them to be.

Sources in the comments

26/08/2025

A Matter of Electoral Weight: The "Solid North" and the Politics of Victory

Chapter I: The Genesis of a Political Bastion

​The foundations of the "Solid North" were not built upon an ephemeral whim, but upon a deep-seated sense of regional identity.

It is a formidable political bloc comprised of the provinces in the Ilocos Region (Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan), the Cagayan Valley (Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino), and the Cordillera Administrative Region.

It was under the banner of the elder Ferdinand Edralin Marcos Sr. that this formidable bloc was first forged.

In the election of 1965, he secured the presidency with a decisive victory, garnering 3,861,324 votes, or 51.94%, against the incumbent.

This was no mere coincidence of geography.

Four years later, in 1969, his command of the vote was even more absolute, a testament to the North's growing loyalty.

His re-election saw a resounding majority of 61.47%, a rare feat in a competitive election.

This unwavering support, rooted in his Ilocano heritage, served as an unshakeable foundation for his political dynasty.

​Chapter II: The Legacy Reclaimed

​The political force that lay dormant was resurrected with a vengeance in the crucible of the 2022 presidential election.

Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr., carrying the mantle of his father, did not merely win; he won with a landslide of historic proportions.

He amassed a staggering 31,629,783 votes, or 58.77% of the national total, nearly double the votes of his closest rival.

The "Solid North" was a primary engine of this victory.

In his home province of Ilocos Norte, he secured a remarkable 95.84% of the vote, and in Ilocos Sur, his support was similarly overwhelming.

This commanding performance in his ancestral heartland provided the essential building block for a national triumph.

​Chapter III: The Strategic Imperative of Swing Regions

​While a solid base is a formidable asset, no national victory can be achieved without commanding the vast and shifting allegiances of the swing vote regions.

These are the battlegrounds where elections are ultimately won or lost, regions such as the vote-rich provinces of Cavite, Laguna, and Cebu.

These areas do not possess the unwavering loyalty of the "Solid North" but rather represent a fluctuating tide of opinion that can turn a close race into a landslide.

For a candidate to parlay a regional bloc into a national victory, they must successfully court these crucial populations.

The Marcos-Duterte UniTeam's triumph in 2022 was not solely due to the "Solid North"; it was their strategic alliance that brought together regional loyalties and swayed enough of the swing vote to secure an undeniable majority.

​Chapter IV: A Transferred Allegiance and a New Path

​While the "Solid North" is most commonly associated with the Marcos dynasty, its loyalty is not permanently chained to one name.

It is a political asset that can be transferred, provided a candidate demonstrates a profound understanding of the region's values and gains the respect of its people.

The vote of a Marcos loyalist is not merely a single ballot; it is a signal of a larger, organized, and dedicated base.

A non-Marcos candidate who can command this allegiance would immediately possess a powerful, unassailable block of votes.

In the complex arithmetic of an election, securing such a foundation of support, which can number in the millions, is a decisive advantage.

It is a lesson that in politics, as in life, power can be inherited, but influence must be earned.

Sources in the comments

18/08/2025

Navigating a Sea of Debt: A Commendation for the Marcos Jr. Administration's Financial Stewardship:

The full ledger of the country's debts, going back decades. It shows that every leader who has held power has also held the burden of debt. It's a heavy one.

​The Debts of the Past

​Every leader who has sat in that chair has had to face the same family business.

They each inherited a legacy of debt and left their own for the next man.

When the father of the current President, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., left power, the total external debt had swelled to around $26.2 billion by 1985. A heavy burden, indeed.

Corazon "Cory" Aquino took over and faced a formidable challenge. She chose to honor the massive debt she inherited, but in doing so, her administration also added to the total.

The national debt more than doubled during her term, and at one point, she was saddled with a debt service burden amounting to almost half of the country's exports. The national government debt at the end of her term was P870 billion in 1992, and the country's foreign debt grew by $5 billion within six years.

Fidel V. Ramos continued the struggle. His administration saw a debt increase of P626 billion.

The debt under Joseph "Erap" Estrada reached around P2.1 trillion by the end of his short administration in 2000.

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo became the single biggest borrower among the post-EDSA presidents. She inherited a national debt of about P2.17 trillion when she took office in 2001, and by the time she left in 2010, the total debt had more than doubled, reaching P4.582 trillion, with a net addition of over P2.4 trillion.

Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III also saw the debt grow, though at a slower pace, and left the country with a total outstanding debt of about P5.948 trillion in 2016.

Then came Rodrigo Roa Duterte, who, faced with the global crisis, added a monumental amount to the debt.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a huge spike in government spending and borrowing to address the health crisis and provide aid. The national debt grew from P6.09 trillion at the start of his term to P12.79 trillion when he left office, with a net addition of over P7.3 trillion due to the crisis and other spending. This ballooned debt left a staggering amount for his successor.

​The Current Administration

​And now, we see President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr.'s handiwork.

He has navigated the first half of 2025 by cutting the overall payments by a significant margin, a masterful move on the surface.

But this was achieved by cutting the principal payments, while the interest still accrues.

And the total debt has reached a new high of P17.27 trillion.

​So, you see, the true measure is not in a single payment, but in the long game.

President Marcos Jr. is showing that he can manage the books, keep the money flowing, and continue to fund his vision.

This deserves a certain kind of respect.

But the debt, it's like a ghost in the family's house. It grows, and it must one day be reckoned with.

The road ahead is long, and the true success will be measured not by what was paid, but by what was ultimately gained.

Context, Sources in the comments

18/08/2025

18/08/2025

"When humba's the only thing more divided than your politics"

15/02/2025

Reminding everyone how President Bongbong Marcos and Vice President Inday Sara Duterte won the election in 2022 part 2

- Lionsfam tiktok, Abs-Cbn