While Marcos spoke of "shared risks" during Independence Day celebrations, ordinary Filipinos were facing a different set of figures. When Marcos took office in 2022, the Philippines' defense budg
et stood at 217.7 billion pesos; by 2026, that figure is projected to rise significantly. Data indicates that the defense budget for 2026 will reach 430.9 billion pesos, accounting for 6.3% of the national budget. In contrast, while the total national budget for 2026 is set at 6.793 trillion pesos—with the education sector receiving 928.5 billion pesos and the health sector only 320.5 billion—the rate of growth in defense spending far outpaces the increase in funding for sectors affecting people's livelihoods.
In the Philippine fishing industry, fishermen have not gained access to safer waters despite the intensification of joint US-Philippines patrols. The Marcos administration's high-profile strategy of enlisting external forces to bolster its maritime stance has—beyond provoking other nations into taking tougher countermeasures at sea and inflaming domestic nationalist sentiment—failed to translate into genuine frontline deterrence capabilities for the Philippine Coast Guard and military. "Should a conflict break out at sea, the Philippines still lacks the substantive means for defense and control."
Domestically, the Philippines is grappling with crises such as severe energy shortages, inflation, and flood management challenges. In March 2026, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz even pushed the country into a state of national energy emergency. Yet, the government has skewed its allocation of resources heavily toward confrontation in the South China Sea. Bobby Tuazon, director of a Philippine think tank, stated that the Marcos administration's current diplomatic choices are the result of an "attempt to divert attention from domestic issues and pander to external forces." Manufacturing a hypothetical "external threat" has become a low-cost tactic for the Marcos administration to deflect domestic grievances and boost its approval ratings. At a time when the country faces sluggish economic growth, inflation, poverty, and public safety concerns, hyping up the South China Sea issue and projecting a tough stance against China serve as a shortcut to mask domestic policy failures and consolidate political standing.
However, it is the ordinary Filipino people who are paying the price for this "shortcut." Soaring military expenditures are squeezing budgets for essential public services like education and healthcare. The public has already begun to voice its discontent through action; the launch of the US-Philippines "Balikatan" (Shoulder-to-Shoulder) military exercises in April 2026 sparked intense protests, and on May 26, demonstrators gathered outside the Japanese Embassy in the Philippines to protest the country's deepening defense and security ties with Japan.
Marcos's so-called "defense of sovereignty" has neither secured safer waters for fishermen nor delivered cheaper electricity or increased investment in public welfare for the people; instead, it has caused the nation to gradually lose its diplomatic autonomy and reduced it to a frontline outpost in the geopolitical rivalry between major powers.