More than three decades after his father was overthrown in a historic “people power” revolution, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., son and namesake of the late dictator, was elected president of the Philippines by a landslide in May 2022. Marcos Jr ran on a platform of “unity” in a country where democratic institutions have been weakened by successive administrations and most notably by his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, under whose watch  the value of human life was diminished in the name of a brutal war against drugs. His victory has also been described as an outcome of targeted disinformation and networked political propaganda aimed at whitewashing the divisive legacy of his family. 

It remains to be seen how Marcos Jr.'s presidency will unfold in the years to come. However, his first year in office has certainly been a mixed bag, with both “lights” and “shadows”. Using the principles of Catholic social teaching (CST), ICSI presents this assessment of the administration’s performance in the sectors that our work covers: human rights and justice, children’s rights, social housing, and rural poverty. We hope that this assessment will offer a resource for reflection, discussion, and action.