Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Rule Changes

Named victim in conspiracy-to-murder article

Prosecutors dropped three of four impeachment charges against Vice President Sara Duterte on October 13, leaving only the allegation that she hid unexplained wealth. The Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, had already lowered the votes needed to convict from 16 to 14.

Updated 8 hours ago

Rule Changes

In office; appointed Macacua as interim chief minister

The Bangsamoro region's first elected parliament chose Abdulraof Macacua, a former Moro Islamic Liberation Front military chief, as chief minister on Oct. 30. He won 51 votes to 27 for MILF chairman Ahod Ebrahim, ending seven years of appointed rule.

Updated 5 days ago

Rule Changes

As of September 2026: Signed absolute pardon for Veloso on September 24, 2026

Mary Jane Veloso walked out of the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City on the night of September 25, 2026, after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. granted her an absolute pardon. She reunited with her parents and two sons the next morning before returning toward her home province of Nueva Ecija.

Updated Sep 26

Built World

As of July 2026: Backing the project as an energy-security measure

On July 14, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. inaugurated Phase 1 of MTerra Solar as the world's largest solar-plus-storage farm. Phase 1 has 1,373 megawatts of solar capacity and 825 megawatts of battery storage — 3,300 megawatt-hours in total — now feeding power into the Manila grid from two provinces north of the capital.

Updated Jul 16

Money Moves

As of July 2026: In office; called the upgrade a 'vote of confidence,' met Canadian PM Carney in Vancouver on July 3

On July 1, 2026, the World Bank raised the Philippines to upper-middle-income status for the first time since 1987. Income per person reached $4,850, clearing the $4,636 cutoff after 39 years in the lower tier.

Updated Jul 3

Force in Play

As of May 2026: 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. It's the Philippines' first such pact with a European partner. The agreement gives 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 these were signed in under two years.

Updated May 30

Rule Changes

As of May 2026: 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 veto follows scandal over phantom flood control projects: former lawmaker Zaldy Co admitted to inserting $1.69 billion into the 2025 budget, implicating Marcos's cousin, then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez, in an alleged kickback scheme.

Updated May 19

Force in Play

As of May 2026: 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. Chinese craft allegedly cut anchor lines and boxed out rescuers.

Updated May 15