Philippines to Swear in Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as President
Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will be sworn into office today as the 17th President of the Philippines for a six-year term. He is the son of dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who ruled the nation with an authoritarian grip.
Marcos’ sweeping policies to combat economic recession and inflated commodity prices propelled his rise to the presidency. Attention is now fixed on the Marcos administration’s amicability between China and USA as geopolitical tensions remain in the Indo-Pacific. Even though domestic economic recession is paramount to his successful presidency, discourse on security in the South China Sea will be noticeable.
As the outgoing-president Rodrigo Duterte’s economic interest with Beijing contributed to a growth in Philippine-Chinese trade, Marcos’ allegiance may too bend towards developing closer bilateral relations with Beijing. Despite this, annual USA-Philippine joint military exercises continue to promote security cooperation and martial interoperability.
Chinese-Philippine relations will come at the cost of continued growth in security relations with USA as Marcos hints at mediating tensions in the South China Sea. Moreover, Sara Duterte-Caprio’s—daughter of Rodrigo Duterte—involvement as vice-president will manifest stronger Chinese relations, particularly through economic policy. In the meantime, expect Marcos to remain transactionally balanced – much like his predecessor – as his administration continues to be fleshed out.
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