The year 2024 proved to be one of the most eventful years the Philippines has had, especially concerning its politics and the like. As we move forward to the new year, we are to look back at what took place in Philippine politics and reflect on what we must demand from the Marcos-Duterte government this 2025.

JANUARY

Jeepney Modernization

The Philippines started the year 2024 with a bang that seemingly was about to end the era of traditional jeepneys. However, the deadline for consolidation for the individual jeepney operators was extended to January 31, 2024 (Philippine News Agency, 2024).

Comelec’s Budget Increase

Even the Commission on Elections (Comelec) itself was shocked by the seemingly generous 2024 budget allotment of Php 14 billion approved by the Congress. This move, in return, gave rise to the idea of using the additional budget to finance a Charter Change or People’s Initiative (Philippine News Agency, 2024).

FEBRUARY

‘UniTeam’ Fallout

The month of February witnessed the onset of the ‘UniTeam’ or the Marcos-Duterte tandem fallout, as Vice President Sara Duterte’s brother, Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte, urged President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos to resign, saying, “Mr. President, kung wala kay gugma ug aspirations sa imohang nasud, resign. (Mr. President, kung wala kang pagmamahal at aspirations sa ‘yong bansa, resign.)” The Vice President, however, still claimed that she was on “good terms” with the President (ABS-CBN News, 2024).

MARCH

‘UniTeam’ Fallout

In March, President Marcos also reaffirmed his relationship with the Vice President amidst the seeming start of the ‘UniTeam’ collapse. In addition, Marcos defended Duterte against criticisms for not speaking up about issues surrounding the West Philippine Sea (Manila Bulletin, 2024).

The Senate Probe on POGO and Alice Guo

In March 2024, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian advised the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to look into the profile of ex-Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo and her possible connection to the recently raided POGO hub in the same province (GMA News, 2024).

APRIL

The Senate Probe on POGO and Alice Guo

In April, the DILG started a task force to further investigate the alleged involvement of Guo in illegal POGOs in her city of governance. However, the dismissed Mayor denied any participation in these prohibited businesses, saying, “I deny in the strongest terms all of these allegations of criminal conduct — or at least, allegations that I have somehow aided and abetted the supposedly Zun Yuan Technology Inc.” (GMA News, 2024).

MAY

“Hindi ko na po maalala, Your Honor”

On May 7, 2024, dismissed Mayor Alice Guo quickly became a household name, as a hearing led by Senator Risa Hontiveros and the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality probed into Guo’s life and identity, wherein the ex-Bamban Mayor repeatedly responded to questions with the infamous “Hindi ko na po maalala, Your Honor,” (GMA News, 2024).

JUNE

POGO and Dismissed Bamban Mayor Alice Guo

In June, the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality continued to conduct hearings and probed into the identity of the dismissed Mayor when Senator Gatchalian presented a passport of a certain Guo Hua Ping, who looked identical to Alice Guo (GMA News, 2024).

China and the West Philippine Sea

In June 2024, the Chinese Coast Guard’s (CCG) harassment against the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) escalated when a Navy seaman who was on a resupply mission for the BRP Sierra Madre lost a finger during an encounter with the CCG (ABS-CBN News, 2024). This encounter then prompted many citizens to be concerned and anxious about the escalated tensions over the West Philippine Sea.

‘UniTeam’ Fallout

With the events that led to the ‘UniTeam’ fallout starting from the beginning of 2024, many citizens considered June 19, when Vice President Duterte resigned from Marcos Jr.’s cabinet and as Secretary to the Department of Education, to be the ‘end,’ of ‘UniTeam’ (ABS-CBN News, 2024).

JULY

The 2024 State of the Nation Address

On July 22, President Bongbong Marcos delivered his third State of the Nation Address at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City. In his speech, the President declared a ban on POGOs, stating, “Effective today, all POGOs are banned.” Meanwhile, Marcos also boasted the 5.5-thousand flood control projects done across the country, yet Metro Manila suffered from the effects of Typhoon Carina and was declared a state of calamity days after the SONA (Rappler, 2024; ABS-CBN News, 2024).

AUGUST

MATATAG Curriculum Rollout

The month of August saw the rollout of the MATATAG Curriculum, a basic education curriculum created during the time of Vice President Duterte as DepEd Secretary, despite Duterte’s resignation. However, the rollout was described as “chaotic,” by some public school teachers (Rappler, 2024).

Sara Duterte, Isang Kaibigan?

During the Senate Finance subcommittee hearing on the Office of the Vice President’s proposed budget of P2.037-billion for 2025, Senator Hontiveros probed on the contents of the budget, including Duterte’s self-authored children’s book, Isang Kaibigan, which was allocated 10 million (GMA News, 2024).

SEPTEMBER

Alice Finally Goes Home

After weeks of failing to attend her Senate hearings, ex-Bamban Mayor Alice Guo was found and arrested in Indonesia on September 4. Two days later, on September 6, Guo finally returned to the Philippines (GMA News, 2024).

Quiboloy Comes Out Of Hiding

After months of hiding, Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) founder Pastor Apollo Quiboloy finally surrendered to the authorities and was made to answer to the multiple allegations of illicit acts against women and children (ABS-CBN News, 2024).

Keeping Up With The Dutertes

Vice President Sara Duterte and her office ultimately skipped the second round of House budget deliberations, stating, “We defer entirely to the discretion and judgment of the committee regarding our budget proposal for the upcoming year,” (Rappler, 2024). This response caused citizens to, yet again, be wary of the Vice President’s request for a budget due to her “confidential,” tendencies.

The month of September then witnessed the start of the political scandals caused by the Duterte family.

OCTOBER

Keeping Up With The Dutertes

During the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee’s inaugural hearing on illegal drugs, former President Rodrigo Duterte admitted to the extra-judicial killings that took place during his term from 2016 to 2022. The former President also claimed that he instructed the police force to encourage the alleged suspects to fight back so they would have a reason for killing. “Pagka lumaban, patayin ninyo para matapos na ang problema ko sa siyudad ko,” Duterte said (Rappler, 2024).

Halalan 2025

October 1 marked the opening of the filing of certificates of candidacies (COCs) for the 2025 elections. The allotted window of filing saw notable celebrities and the like, such as TV show host Willie Revillame and even the detained pastor Apollo Quiboloy, as political aspirants (Philippine News Agency, 2024).

NOVEMBER

Keeping Up With The Dutertes

On November 13, former President Duterte showed up at a House quad comm drug war hearing, wherein retired police colonel Royina Garma claimed the existence of a ‘rewards system’ during the war on drugs, as well as the Davao death squad being common knowledge among the police force (Inquirer, 2024).

Meanwhile, his daughter, Vice President Sara, went on to lash out at the President, the First Lady, and the House Speaker in a press conference on November 23, wherein she also admitted to contracting an assassin to kill President Marcos if something happened to her (ABS-CBN News, 2024).

DECEMBER

Keeping Up With The Dutertes

The Duterte family truly ended the year with a bang, as, in December, Vice President Sara Duterte faced a third impeachment charge after a 70-page complaint was filed at the House of Representatives (Philippine News Agency, 2024).

First Steps Of The POGO Ban

During the beginning of the second half of the year, President Marcos asserted banning POGOs, which resulted in all POGO licenses being revoked on December 15, with no renewals taking place in the next year (Presidential Communications Office, 2024).

The ‘Rebranding’ Of Philippine Peso Bills

Just in time before the Christmas and New Year celebrations, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) unveiled new designs of the Philippine banknotes, which featured the Philippine fauna and replaced the faces of Filipino heroes. According to President Marcos, such a decision from the BSP is a “groundbreaking step, symbolic of the nation’s strength, ingenuity, and forward momentum,” (Inquirer, 2024).

What should we expect demand from the Marcos administration in 2025?

The Philippine politics of 2024 was definitely a roller coaster ride, one that had its ups but suffered more downs. From Comelec’s budget increase and alleged attempt at a Charter Change to the various controversies of the Duterte family, one thing is certain: the Philippine government is fragile and we must demand accountability and good governance. 

2024 is most famously characterized by a falling out of the two most influential people in the Philippines, the President and the Vice President. These two, clearly, must have a healthy working relationship in order to avoid conflicts and achieve harmonious governance. However, the current dynamics of President Marcos and Vice President Duterte prove to be otherwise. 

How can the Philippine government be kind to its constituents when its members themselves are not kind to one another? How can the Philippine government listen to the cries of the Filipinos when its own members lack an ear that listens? 

Time can only tell when the Marcos-Duterte administration can fix its internal issues. However, right now, the Philippine government is fragile and is slowly collapsing, and they are bringing Filipinos down with them.