JUNE 2026 MONTHLY POLITICAL ANALYSIS Introduction The first half of 2026 has been marked by sharpening contradictions in Philippine society. The Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. administration has continued to highlight favorable macroeconomic indicators, strengthened security partnerships, and international recognition as evidence that the country is moving toward stability and prosperity. Behind declarations of economic progress, however. are Filipino families struggling with agonizingly...

2026 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘶𝘮, 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘌𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘎𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘭 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘤 𝘓. 𝘙𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘢 Magandang araw sa inyong lahat! Imagine for a moment that our country is like a great ship sailing on the open sea. At the helm is the President, steering us through calm and storm alike. The crew includes the Cabinet, legislators, judges, and civil servants. But the real owners of this ship - the ones whose hopes and...

A Message on the Fifth State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., 27 July 2026 Prof. Emmanuel A. Leyco President and Chief Economist, Credit Rating and Investors Services Philippines, Inc. • Senior Fellow, Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) • ealeyco@crisp.com.ph On the fourth Monday of July, as the Constitution commands, the President will stand before a joint session of Congress at the Batasang Pambansa to deliver his fifth and penultimate State...

The Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) will hold its annual State of the Presidency (SoP) Forum 2026 on 21 July 2026, from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM, at the CMC Auditorium, College of Media and Communication, University of the Philippines Diliman. Carrying the theme "The Presidency and the People's Trust: Governance, Accountability, and National Sovereignty," this year's forum comes at a critical point in Philippine politics as the Marcos Jr. administration enters the latter half...

The Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) joins the Filipino people in commemorating the 10th anniversary of the landmark 2016 Arbitral Award, a historic legal victory that affirmed the Philippines' sovereign rights and maritime entitlements within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The ruling remains a powerful affirmation that international law—not the use of force or unilateral assertions—should govern the...

The think tank Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) said the opening day of the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte marks a critical test of the country's democratic institutions and the constitutional principle that no public official is above the law. CenPEG Chairperson Prof. Roland G. Simbulan stressed that the proceedings should not be viewed merely as a political contest but as an opportunity to uphold public accountability at a time when millions of...