Oro was ambivalent in Marcos’ 1st year

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CARMEN Palanay, a 71-year-old housekeeper who lives in Cagayan de Oro, is the most populous barangay in Cagayan de Oro. as indistinguishable from earlier ones.

Palanay, from Macanhan, Carmen, said that he has not experienced any change since the previous Duterte administration.

“They are all the same. They promised the people, but when they assumed power, nothing happened to us,” said Palanay.

But Yolanda Sabelita, an 81-year-old neighbor, has a different view of the one-year Marcos Jr. administration. and he even considered the President “god-sent”.

Although Sabelita has not noticed any significant changes since Marcos took office in 2022, she remains optimistic about the future under his administration.
“I am happy that he won the election. Things will improve for the country in the coming years,” he said.

Cagayan de Oro used to be an opposition bailiwick in Mindanao during the administration of the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos.

The mixed and conflicting feelings of the Kagay-Anon toward the second Marcos administration showed the results of an independent national survey conducted by Octa Research from March 24 to 28.

Regional satisfaction ratings for the current administration vary widely, from 51% to 96%.

The Cordillera Administrative Region achieved the highest satisfaction rating at 96%, while the National Capital Region (NCR) recorded the lowest rating at 51%.

However, Zamboanga Peninsula and Northern Mindanao are the regions with the highest level of dissatisfaction towards the Marcos Jr. administration, both at 18%.

On the other hand, NCR has the highest proportion of Filipino adults with ambivalent views towards the administration, with 35% expressing uncertainty.
The Cordillera Administrative Region and Central Visayas recorded the lowest percentage of ambivalent views at 4%.

Of the 1,200 respondents nationwide in the Octa Research survey, 300 are from Mindanao, with a sample size of 60 respondents from Northern Mindanao.
The survey uses face-to-face interviews and has a margin of error of plus/minus 3% at the 95% confidence level.

“Across the socio-economic classes, Class ABC has an increase of 6% and Class D has a decrease of 5% in the satisfaction rating for the management of the current administration from the previous survey,” said Octa Research.

The people of Cagayan de Oro have ambivalent views on Marcos Jr.’s performance. in his first year in office, giving the President both high and failing marks.

Even those in the middle of the city’s socio-political spectrum gave a mixed assessment.

Cagayan de Oro Councilor George Goking, chairman of the Philippine Councilors’ League (PCL) in Northern Mindanao, expressed dismay at the performance of the Marcos Jr. administration, giving the President a failing score of 70%.

“He will never pass,” said Goking.

He said many members of the PCL in the region shared his dismay with the Marcos administration because they felt that Mindanao had been abandoned again.

“This is the exact opposite of the previous administration. It seems to be a case of ‘balos-balos lang’ (retaliation).”

Marcos Jr.’s predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, paid a lot of attention to Mindanao, particularly the Davao region where he previously served as mayor. Marcos is from the Ilocos region of Luzon.

Goking, who heads the trade and commerce committee of the city council, said that Marcos Jr. failed to implement the necessary measures to overcome the economic challenges facing the country.

“This is not the status quo. We are getting worse. I feel sorry for the President. I’m sure he means well and is doing his best to solve our problems. But he was out of touch with reality and failed to see the actual situation on the ground. People are suffering, and he is not thought of because those around him only show him positive images,” said Goking.

However, Cagayan de Oro Mayor Rolando Uy has a different view and gave Marcos Jr.’s first year a satisfaction rating of 9, of which 10 is the highest.

Uy said on Thursday, June 29, that Marcos remains focused on his work “despite widespread criticism from all quarters.”

He cited Marcos’ efforts to attract foreign investors in an attempt to revive the economy after the devastating Covid-19 pandemic and the impact of the crisis in Europe resulting from the Russia-Ukraine war.

“I saw that he really gave his best,” Uy said.

Another Cagayan de Oro councilor, James Judith, gave Marcos a score of 80% to 85%.

Like Uy, Judith said that “even the President is far from perfect, there should be a passing mark” for his efforts.

“Based on his statements, he hasn’t delivered much, but I can see that he is working to lay the foundations for this to be delivered to the people,” Judith said.

While Marcos did not fulfill his promise to lower the price of rice significantly during the 2022 presidential campaign, the prices of some agricultural products, such as onions and sugar, have recently decreased, according to said Judith.

“This shows that he is serious about solving the country’s problems. Let’s give him time,” said Judith.

Since his assumption of office, Marcos Jr. the head of the Department of Agriculture (DAR), and he ignored calls for him to appoint someone with expertise in agriculture.

Advocate Dale Bryan Mordeno, former president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) in Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro, did not give Marcos a mark or fail.

But according to Mordeno, “He needs progress, especially in the issue of corruption in all areas of government, local and national. He didn’t answer it at the moment. It doesn’t seem to be a priority for him.

Bishop Felixberto Calang of the Independent Philippine Church (IFI) gave the President a failing grade.

“As a peacemaker, my expectations are high for the President to explore the possibility of ending the armed conflict” between the government and the communist rebels, he said.

Calang said that red-tagging continues, which started during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte, and there is no indication that Marcos is interested in continuing the stalled peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front.

He said that the Marcos Jr. administration. must work to solve the socio-political and economic marginalization of many Filipinos, especially in the countryside, which is the cause of the rebellion.