2022 is not just the year of breakups but also the year of controversies inside the politics of the country. And to get a grip on the political affairs this year, here is your TOP 10 POLITICAL EVENTS OF 2022:
1. PH ELECTION 2022 CAMPAIGN SEASON
As the candidates for the 2022 elections began securing their bailiwicks, everyone was also anticipating the elections and had their own bets from presidential to local candidates. Among all the ten presidential candidates, six of them were keenly watched by the voters: former Senator Panfilo Lacson, former Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, labor leader Leody De Guzman, now President Bongbong Marcos, former Senator Manny Pacquiao, and the former vice president, Leni Robredo. These six candidates became under watch of the voters after making a splash during the campaign season. Overall, it was a highly anticipated yet long and tiring campaign trail because aside from head-to-head battles against each candidate, disinformation and misinformation were also rampant, along with red-tagging and a surge of troll armies. Aside from the campaign sorties, the most awaited part of the election was the debate—a crucial moment where voters get to see how their potential leaders think and act. However, the BBM-SARA tandem refused to attend COMELEC-accredited debates, which caused disappointment to many hopeful Filipinos.
2. ELECTION 2022 RESULTS
After weeks of waiting for the final results, the former dictator’s son, Bongbong Marcos, was proclaimed president, garnering 31 million votes, and the daughter of the previous president, Sara Duterte, won as the vice president with 32 million votes. This caused a stir given the multiple broken Vote Counting Machines (VCM) in different areas, creating claims that cheating was definitely at work and that the election was rigged. Aside from the controversial presidential and vice presidential standing, the neophyte, Robin Padilla, received the most votes for senator. Meanwhile, Senator Risa Hontiveros was the lone opposition candidate who was able to win a seat in the Senate. Knowing the result, many Filipinos were dead worried about having an elected president who never presented specific plans and platforms during the elections.
3. BBM-SARA TANDEM IN OFFICE
Before the start of President Marcos’ term, he accredited vloggers with the right to enter the Malacañang Palace, a privilege that media experts warned about as it could threaten fair journalism at the nation’s most powerful institution. He then named Vice President Sara Duterte as Education Secretary and himself as Agriculture Secretary. In his first 100 days, he was unable to complete his cabinet. Until now, he has yet to appoint a permanent secretary of the Department of Health (DOH).
Meanwhile, Vice President Sara Duterte’s main achievement during her first 100 days was the resumption of face-to-face classes in over 47,000 public schools. However, she gained huge attention as she was pushing the mandatory ROTC and for implementing the tooth brush drill for students under the Department of Education.
4. SUGAR IMPORT FIASCO
In August of this year, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee conducted a hearing and investigation about the smuggled 300 metric tons of sugar that were imported from Thailand. The newly-appointed Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Chairman investigated the case with the other senators. During the hearing, they discovered that the order came from President Marcos. They requested the former Secretary of the President, Atty. Vic Rodriguez, to answer the allegations, but he declined. According to him, a subpoena must be released for him to come to the hearing and defend himself and the president from the allegations. After the hearing, the Senate released a report about the said fiasco, but the Minority Bloc seemed to disagree with this and filed their own report.
5. BOYING REMULLA’S SON MUG SHOTS
Last October, the son of the Department of Justice Secretary Boying Remulla, was arrested for the possession of kush, a type of marijuana, worth P 1.98 million. His case became the talk of the town after the release of his mug shots with his face blurred out. According to netizens, it was a special treatment because it was a procedure that was not applied to other arrested criminals. This also caused a lot of people to call for Remulla’s resignation as the Secretary of Justice. However, it was countered by the President and said that there was “no basis” for Remulla to resign.
6. THE HETEROSEXUAL BILL
In November of this year, Representative Benny Abante proposed House Bill 1517 or the “HETEROSEXUAL BILL”, which promotes the safety of heterosexuals against discrimination. As stated in the proposal, the bill is “an act recognizing, defining, and protecting the rights of heterosexuals.” It also states the definition of queer as “a person who is differing in some way from what is usual or normal.” The whole proposal was enough to make everyone shocked, as it was seen as an absurd and random bill to pass. It was also disagreed by many allies and part of the LGBTQIA+ community as they are more deprived of freedom or liberty in expressing themselves.
7. HIGH INFLATION RATE
In July, President Marcos assured the Filipinos that the inflation rate of 6.4% was not as high as it seemed. Today, the current report from Philippine Statistics Authority says that the inflation rate has leveled up to 8% as of November of this year, which means that tough times will get tougher for many consumers.
8. CONFIDENTIAL FUNDS
The budget session in the Senate became chaotic after the senate approved the Office of the President’s intelligence funds. This included a P4.6 billion worth of intelligence funds for the Office of the President and P500 million worth of confidential funds for the Office of the Vice President, which were both opposed by many mass organizations as they believed that these funds would only be utilized for corruption.
9. MAHARLIKA WEALTH FUND
On December 16, the Maharlika Wealth Fund was promptly and easily approved by the House of Representatives — with members dominated by allies of Marcos. According to House Speaker Martin Romualdez, this bill ordered by the President seeks to establish a Sovereign Wealth Fund that can be used by the government as an emergency fund. This was opposed by many Filipinos since it will generate money from SSS and GSIS as per the first proposal, which fueled the doubts of the citizens as it may stir corruption. Meanwhile, the senate vowed to thoroughly study it next year.
10. DTI’s NOCHE BUENA BUDGET LIST
This December, DTI Undersecretary Ruth Castelo received a huge backlash from the citizens after releasing a suggested Noche Buena budget list worth ₱1,000 and ₱500. The package worth of ₱500 was supposedly adequate for four to five family members, and the ₱1,000 budget was enough for five members and up. However, given the soaring 8% inflation rate and prices of red onions ranging from ₱500 to ₱720 in the country, critics and and ordinary Filipinos weren’t happy hearing this and said that the government was only teaching them to settle for less.
Indeed, it has been a whirlwind for the Philippines, especially given the current economic status and the political climate. Bearing all of it in mind, equip yourselves for another road of a year and gird your loins for the upcoming 2023 Political Wrap.