APCHRP: The real ‘State of the Nation’ – a country dominated by the ruling class and U.S. imperialism
Three years into the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the Filipino people continue to suffer under a regime defined by deception, neglect, and betrayal. Rather than addressing the worsening crises of poverty, hunger, and unemployment, Marcos Jr. has prioritized foreign interests – primarily those of the United States – and the domestic ruling class.
Despite grand promises of progress and prosperity, his administration has failed to deliver sustainable employment, appropriate funding for basic social services, and support for farmers and workers. Instead, the Marcos Jr. regime has remained heavily reliant on foreign loans, foreign investment, and the export of Filipino labor. Marcos Jr.’s economic policies, grounded in neoliberal priorities, have prioritized large corporations and foreign capital over Filipino workers.
Under his leadership, the economic crisis has only intensified. Prices of basic goods and services have soared, while wages remain unjustly low, forcing millions of Filipino families to struggle daily for survival. As of April 2025, the national debt has ballooned to ₱16.8 trillion which now represents 62 per cent of the national GDP. In terms of unemployment, the Philippines now ranks second highest in Southeast Asia. Marcos Jr.’s much-publicized promise to bring down the price of rice to ₱20 per kilo remains unfulfilled, despite his desperate attempt to roll-out heavily subsidized ₱20/kilo rice in the lead-up to the 2025 mid-term elections. Not only is this scheme unsustainable, given the continued lack of support for rice producers, but it is also a cynical ploy to save face amid a must-win election. According to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, 56.5% – or around 15.6 million families – consider themselves poor, while approximately 50.9 million individuals (44.7% of the population) have experienced moderate to severe hunger.
In addition to economic hardship, the Marcos Jr. administration has intensified its attacks on civil liberties and human rights. KARAPATAN, a human rights organization, has documented ongoing state-sponsored violence, particularly in rural areas where militarization has escalated under the guise of counterinsurgency operations. These acts of violence are spearheaded by the National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), the inter-agency body that has been notorious for red-tagging activists, trade unionists and peasants since its creation under the previous administration of Rodrigo Duterte.
From July 2022 to March 2025, the administration has presided over widespread and systematic human rights violations. Reports show at least 124 cases of extrajudicial killings, 261 illegal or arbitrary arrests, 66,617 incidents of indiscriminate firing, and 45,097 cases of forced evacuation, primarily affecting marginalized and militarized communities. Additionally, there are 15 cases of enforced disappearance, 563 instances of forced or fake surrenders, and 51,206 incidents of indiscriminate bombings, endangering countless civilian lives. Most alarmingly, over 5.6 million individuals have reportedly been subjected to threats, harassment, and intimidation by state forces.
The Marcos Jr. administration is clearly taking a militarized approach to tackling the armed conflict in the Philippines. Succeeding governments have tried this route only to fail, given that these heightened acts of warfare do not address the root causes of armed condlict. A just and lasting peace can only be achieved by meeting the material needs of the Filipino people, particularly those in the rural countryside. The current government’s stubbornness at maintaining a military solution is proof it is adamant to maintain the neoliberal status quo in the country, at the behest of local oligarchs and the U.S. imperialist machine that is propping it up.
As of March 2025, there are 745 political prisoners in the Philippines, including 160 arrested during Marcos Jr.’s term. Among them are 15 NDFP peace consultants, 100 ailing detainees, 148 women, and 106 elderly individuals.
These figures reveal the continued erosion of civil liberties under the Marcos Jr. regime. The administration has not only failed to uphold fundamental human rights, but it has also actively weaponized the justice system to suppress dissent, criminalize activism, and maintain a climate of fear and impunity throughout the country.
As the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approaches this July 2025, the Filipino people once again brace for a spectacle filled with lies, empty promises, and a blatant distortion of the country’s true condition. Rather than acknowledging the urgent realities of poverty, hunger, unemployment, and ongoing crises in both the economy and human rights, Marcos Jr. is expected once again to sell the illusion of a “progressing Philippines,” a narrative completely detached from the lived experiences of ordinary Filipinos.
The Asia Pacific Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (APCHRP) strongly condemns the Marcos Jr. administration for its active role in perpetuating systemic violence, repression, and economic exploitation. For the past three years, this regime has deepened the suffering of the Filipino people through brutal state violence, rampant corruption, and the betrayal of public trust.
APCHRP joins the growing clamor to hold President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his government fully accountable for the crimes committed under his leadership. We echo the urgent demands of the Filipino people for: Justice for all victims of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, illegal arrests, and other grave human rights abuses; The immediate release of all political prisoners, especially the sick, the elderly, and those unjustly detained; An end to red-tagging, militarization, and attacks on human rights defender, journalists, and indigenous communities; Full accountability for the administration’s economic mismanagement, which has left millions in deepening poverty.
The Filipino people deserve truth, justice, and genuine change. The international community must stand in solidarity with the people of the Philippines in resisting tyranny and demanding accountability. ###
