The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
LOVE FOR ALLBy: Virginia Rodriguez When President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. took office, he made a clear commitment: to uplift the country’s teachers not merely through rhetoric, but through tangible reforms. In a nation where educators have long been praised yet often under-supported, that promise carried significant weight. Today, the results of that commitment are beginning to take shape in …
Points of View & Perspectives
February, 2026
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23 February
Sustaining Momentum in Educational Reform
REALPOLITIKBy Benjie Alejandro President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s renewed commitment to educational reform, underscored by the submission of the EDCOM II Final Report, projects both continuity and ambition. The administration’s push to align reforms with expert recommendations and to launch the National Education and Workforce Development Plan (NatPlan 2026–2035) suggests a desire to institutionalize long‑term strategies rather than rely on …
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15 February
Where do I begin?
Due to insistent private demand of our publisher Ma’m Nelly, here I am in a computer shop in Pilar Village, Las Pinas City trying to eke out what would pass for a column this sleepy afternoon of Friday, February 13, the unofficial Valentine’s day of undocumented couples. First off, I would like to make clear that this attempt at column writing is purely uncompensated, thus preventing …
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15 February
Replacing Senate Pres crucial to VP impeachment trial
Rumors swirl that opposition senators will again attempt to unseat Senate President Tito Sotto, installing instead a leader who would guarantee one crucial outcome: the acquittal of Vice President Sara Duterte in a possible impeachment trial—clearing her path for a 2028 presidential run. The Senate intramurals may appear procedural, even routine. But the stakes are unmistakably high. Control of the chamber means control …
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15 February
The Philippines defense dilemma
REALPOLITIKBy Benjie Alejandro The release of the United States of America’s 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS) has stirred debate across the IndoPacific, especially in countries like the Philippines that stand at the crossroads of alliance commitments and the demand for selfreliance. At its core, the NDS calls for a “denial defense along the First Island Chain,” meant to deter adversaries by strengthening …
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15 February
Marcos Vows to Speed Up Classroom Construction, taps DPWH Secretary Dizon to lead the project
LOVE FOR ALLBy: Virginia Rodriguez President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has promised to prioritize education for the rest of his term and build 40,000 new classrooms by 2028 to address the shortage in public schools. He has directed Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon to speed up construction and complete unfinished school building projects across the country. When Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vowed …
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9 February
Scandal fatigue
The decision of members of the House Committee on Justice to dismiss the two impeachment complaints against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was framed as a triumph of procedure over politics. Yet, as more details surface, the vote now looks less like principled restraint and more like part of a familiar choreography—one where accountability is expertly dodged while the public is expected to …
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9 February
Senate Zarzuela: Coup, Power Sharing, Term Sharing—All About the Bargain
REALPOLITIKBy Benjie Alejandro In the Senate, leadership changes are rarely about principle or institutional continuity. Whether framed as a coup, power sharing, or term sharing, the underlying dynamic is the same: the bargain. Votes are secured, alliances are forged, and promises are made—not for the sake of transparency or reform, but to protect personal interests and maintain the status quo. …
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9 February
Building a Bagong Pilipinas: Investments, Infrastructure, and the Empowerment of Filipinos
LOVE FOR ALLBy: Virginia Rodriguez The recent meeting between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Mr. Katsuya Nakanishi, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Corporation, may appear routine in diplomatic calendars, but it carries weighty implications for the country’s economic and social direction. It reflects an administration intent on translating high-level partnerships into concrete benefits that ordinary Filipinos can feel in their …
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2 February
Growth downgrades and the cost of complacency
The recent decision by highly respected international financial institutions to lower their growth forecasts for the Philippines should have set off loud alarm bells than it apparently did in Malacañang. While the Palace has downplayed the revisions, citing inflation as a manageable concern, the downgrades have nonetheless sent ripples of uncertainty through the business community—an audience far less inclined to shrug …