Marcos faces uphill battle as divided Congress clouds reform push

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. could face legislative headwinds as a divided Congress threatens to derail his reform agenda, political analysts said, casting uncertainty over his efforts to build a lasting legacy ahead of the 2028 presidential race.

- By Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio Reporter

Contentious proposals will likely be subjected to deeper scrutiny in Congress, which could force the President to settle for watered-down measures at the expense of radical structural reforms, they added.

“A fragmented legislature creates a ‘transactional’ environment where bills will require heavier political bargaining and concessions,” Cleve V. Arguelles, chief executive officer and president at Philippine think tank WR Numero Research, said in a Viber message.

“A split Congress slows momentum for structural reforms and forces Mr. Marcos to focus on popular, low-conflict measures rather than ambitious policy changes,” he added.

The administration suffered a setback in the May 12 elections after only six of Mr. Marcos’ -man senatorial slate secured seats in the chamber — the worst showing by an incumbent since 2007.

While this poses a challenge for the President to marshal support in the chamber, Mr. Marcos has secured backing in the House of Representatives after his cousin, Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, retained leadership of the chamber in the 20^th Congress with a supermajority vote.

“There is a significant change in the Senate as shown in the increase in the number of pro-Duterte senators,” Dennis C. Coronacion, who heads the University of Sto. Tomas Political Science Department, said in a Facebook chat.

With five of Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio’s endorsements winning senatorial seats, the total Duterte-allied senators in the chamber have risen to seven, which Senator Ronald M. dela Rosa has called the “Duter7” bloc.

“This division means that while Malacañang can push bills swiftly through the House, the Senate may act as a brake, especially on contentious measures,” Ederson DT. Tapia, a political science professor at the University of Makati, said in a Facebook Messenger chat. “The risk is that Marcos’ key reforms could stall or be watered down in bicameral negotiations.”