Every administration promises change. The current administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. is no exception.
The Office of the President launched the Bagong Pilipinas campaign, through Memorandum Circular No. 24, last 03 July 2023.
This branding and communications strategy, in my opinion, sets its apart from previous administration whilst continuing the legacy of the Bagong Lipunan movement initiated by the incumbent Chief Executive’s late father and namesake, former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, Sr.
Bagong Pilipinas is the Marcos Jr. Administration’s brand of government and leadership. As stated in the circular, it “calls for deep and fundamental transformations in all sectors of society and government, and fosters the State’s commitment towards the attainment of comprehensive policy reforms and full economic recovery.”
The operative word is “transformation,” which is akin to modernization, development, or change.
It is in this context that we have to look at the recent survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS), released to the media over the weekend, on the Filipinos’ self-assessment of changes in their quality of life over a 12-month period.
The SWS survey, conducted March 21 to 25, reveals that almost half, or 45%, of Pinoys felt no changes in quality of life compared to the previous year.
Thirty percent, meanwhile, believed an improvement in their quality of life while 25% saw a decline.
While SWS did not ask the respondents on what their barometers are in the improvement or decline in their quality of life, we can look at Pulse Asia’s March 6 to 10 survey question on Filipinos’ urgent national concerns.
Emerging as the most urgent national concern by a great majority of Filipinos is controlling inflation at 70%.
Only one percent in the same survey cited charter change as among their urgent concerns.
We can therefore deduce that the quality of life for a great majority of Filipinos is best gauged by the availability and affordability of food. As prices of basic goods and commodities spiral and the purchasing power of the Filipinos diminishes, the more our people believe that their quality of life has worsened.
Having said this, government should not lose sight of their goal of pagkain sa bawat mesa.
Once the challenges of food security have been addressed, only then we can truly say that Bagong Pilipinas has arrived.
After all, the vision of Bagong Pilipinas is a prosperous nation where no Filipino is hungry or left behind.
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Dennis Ting is a former director at the Department of Budget and Management.
