Tag: Ferdinand Marcos

PH: Bongbong Marcos among Time’s 100 most influential people of 2024

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

PBBM among Time’s 100 most influential people of 2024

“Bongbong has stood steadfast against Chinese aggression in the disputed South China Sea and bolstered his nation’s alliance with the US in the face of rising tensions in the region and the world,” read a portion of Marcos’ profile in the 2024 Time 100 issue.

“Many problems persist, including extrajudicial killings and journalists routinely attacked. But by trying to repair his family name, Bongbong may reshape his country too,” it added.

President Marcos is listed in the Leaders category, along with Yulia Navalnaya, widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny; Poland Prime Minister Donald Tusk; Taiwan President-elect Willian Lai; Argentina President Javier Milei; Qatar Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Adbulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani; World Bank Group President Ajay Banga; Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni; and Chinese Premier Li Qiang; among others.

Hyperlinks added by me.

Related:

Time 100: Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

Pulse Asia: Marcos approval down 13 points, Sara’s by 7

Marcos’ approval rating went down from 68 in December 2023 to 55 in March 2024.

His trust rating went down from 73 in December 2023 to 57 in March 2024.

Prospects shaky for Philippines’ government and communist peace talks

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)
CIA World Factbook

Prospects shaky for Philippines’ government and communist peace talks

Manila, Philippines – Fighting continues between the Philippine military and communist rebels despite an agreement to resume peace talks this month in an effort to end the world’s longest-running communist armed rebellion.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr surprised many when, in November, his government announced an agreement with the National Democratic Front (NDF), the rebels’ political wing, to restart peace talks that his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte had ended shortly after taking office.

Considering that the Millennium Challenge Corporation just gave the Philippines a grant, I doubt that they’ll see any positive economic reforms. MCC’s support for “democratic reform” is akin to the “democracy promotion” advanced by the National Endowment for Democracy. My guess is that it’s to keep the Philippines in line with US foreign policy against China.

The Pentagon’s Balloon Floats On

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

It is just as well that Antony “Guardrails” Blinken has called off his long-scheduled visit to Beijing, which was due to begin Tuesday. It would have been his first since taking over at State and the first by a secretary of state in four years. But Blinken would not have got any guardrails in place or built any exit ramps, which he seems to consider his highest calling. Let us wonder, parenthetically, if our Tony wasn’t meant to be a transportation engineer.

Patrick Lawrence: The Pentagon’s Balloon Floats On