Marcos halfway through term, promises mixed progress

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is halfway through his term as he prepares to deliver his fourth State of the Nation Address on July 28.

Of the 19 promises made by Marcos' administration in education and infrastructure from 2022 to 2024, only five have been fulfilled, with eleven still ongoing or yet to be implemented, and three awaiting assessment due to lack of data.

In his Sona on Monday, President Marcos vowed to construct 40,000 new classrooms before the end of his term in 1 year, emphasizing the 'pitiful' situation of students who lack sufficient classrooms affecting their education quality.

Marcos highlighted progress in easing financial burdens on teachers through policies like the Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo Act and free higher education for state universities and colleges but stressed the need to improve international rankings for Philippine higher education institutions.

In infrastructure, while Marcos promised P9 trillion worth of projects and reached financial targets, many flagship initiatives remain unfinished with only seven out of 207 projects completed by April 2025. To sustain momentum, he urged Congress to provide consistent funding for the Department of Education's school infrastructure program.