YACAP’s Assessment of Marcos Jr. in his One Year

Worst Climate Disaster of 2022-2023

June 30th, 2023, marks the anniversary of the start of Marcos Jr.’s administration. Today let us take a moment to look back and go over what happened in the first year of his presidency; was he able to bring resolutions or did he contribute to the disasters?

On Disaster Response

In the first year of the Marcos Jr administration, the Philippines was battered by 10 typhoons / tropical cyclones [1], the most disastrous being Typhoon Paeng (international name Nalgae) and Typhoon Karding (international name Noru). In September of 2022, Typhoon Paeng caused landslides and flash floods across southern Luzon, parts of Visayas, and northern Mindanao [2]. Over 100 people were reported dead [3] and over 1.4 million people were affected [4], with over 1.9M USD reported in agricultural damages [3]. The following month, Typhoon Paeng tore through Central Luzon, leaving 12 dead and five missing, and up to 62M USD in agricultural damages [5]. In June of 2023, just before the beginning of the year’s typhoon season, the Marcos Jr administration fast-tracked the creation of the Maharlika Investment Fund, which aims to funnel national funds toward international investments [6]. This clearly demonstrates the national government’s priorities – profit generation for themselves over the needs of those who have been impacted (and who will be impacted) by typhoons.

Since his campaign period in 2022, Marcos Jr. has already promised to revive the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, which he claims has been left unused because of “politics” [1]. Despite being postponed in operations for safety and economic reasons in 1986, the Philippines still pays around 50 million pesos a year for the BNPP’s maintenance costs [2]. The importation of fuel, technologies, and expertise has an enormous cost, along with dangerous risks to human health and disasters [3]. Besides these, corruption in building the BNPP has led to evidence that a “front company” received a commission worth millions of dollars, while the late dictator Marcos Sr. was also reported to have received kickbacks worth $80 million for this project [1]. Nationwide transport strikes were led by different mass organizations earlier this year to call out and junk the anti-poor Jeepney Modernization program. However, this victory is only temporary, as the modernization program only extended its deadline in December 2023 for individual operators to join consolidated entities [4]. Modernization should not cause people to suffer further in poverty. We must continue to support the jeepney drivers and demand genuine and pro-people programs. The personal interests of the rich few do not have a place in a just society.

On Mindoro Oil Spill and Fossil Fuel Projects

The Mindoro Oil Spill has affected a total of 193,436 residents across Calabarzon, Mimaropa, and Western Visayas, with the Mimaropa region being the worst affected. Impacted fisherfolk also increased from 13,636 to 24,698, and agricultural damage costs climbed to P3,882,090,459. 74 [1]. Although cash aid, relief goods, and a cash-for-work program were conducted by the government for the affected residents [2], these responses were only a short-term solution and did not truly address the root cause of the incident. This disaster has hugely impacted thousands of livelihoods, people, and hectares of corals and mangroves [4], but until now, there’s been no transparency about the incident, and accountability is nowhere to be found [3]. It was also discovered in March that San Miguel Corporation is responsible for the incident, as they chartered MT Princess Empress through a subsidiary but were not held accountable as of this writing [4]. We demand for transparency from corporations and the government to hold them accountable. Listen to the people’s decry. People and the planet should be put first, not profit!

On Reclamation

A total of 53 reclamation projects are in the works across the country, which directly negatively impact over 1.5 million people [1]. Already, coastal communities are suffering loss of livelihood due to these projects, with some experiencing 65-90% loss of income [2]. The Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) has said that they will no longer be accepting new applications for reclamation projects, but this moratorium does not extend to already-accepted and ongoing projects [3]. These projects not only harm coastal communities in the present, but they also make coastal areas more vulnerable to storm surges and large waves brought about by worsening typhoons [2]. In prioritizing these reclamation projects, the Marcos Jr administration shows us that they care more about generating profit – for themselves and for mega corporations – over the homes and livelihoods of coastal dwellers.

On Human Rights Violations

Just two weeks before the one year anniversary of the Marcos Jr administration, four members of the Fausto family – Emelda (50), Roly (52), and their two sons Ben (15) and Ravin (11) – were brutally murdered in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental, following months of red-tagging and harassment, allegedly by state forces [1]. Although the Philippine Army pins the deaths of the Fausto family on the New People’s Army [2], other witnesses claim to have seen AFP soldiers ransacking the Fausto home [3].The murders of the Fausto family brings the number of farmers killed by state forces during the Marcos Jr administration to 24 in Negros alone [1]. In addition, at least three journalists have been killed in connection with their journalistic work in the past year [4]. Red-tagging and terror-tagging continues under the Marcos Jr administration, with the active participation of VP Sara Duterte, and elements of the armed forces tagging progressive student groups as “NPA recruiters” in school forums [5]. Indigenous leaders and environmental activists continue to be red-tagged under the current administration [6], putting their lives and communities in danger. The different groups targeted by state forces are groups that stand at the forefront of defending our environment. The government’s continued disregard for human rights is in conflict with any commitments the government has made toward addressing the climate crisis. There can be no climate justice without the defense of human rights.

What were the youth’s demands for green new leadership? Check out our demands https://yacap.org/take-action/yca2022