Over the past few weeks, the nation’s attention has been focused on typhoons and floods, an impeachment trial, and tragic shooting incidents in schools. While these are concededly vital concerns that deserve attention by the country’s political leaders, they do not constitute the totality of the national agenda. There is need to survey the entire landscape of governance that affects the lives of the citizenry.

With less than two years before the end of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s term, the central question is no longer what this administration intends to do. It is what it can still accomplish and what enduring reforms it can leave behind. A similar question needs to be addressed by the legislative and judicial branches.

The President’s penultimate State of the Nation Address placed corruption at the center of his remaining agenda, amid public concerns over the cost of living and the integrity of public infrastructure spending. The challenge now is to translate presidential declarations into measurable results.

First, the President must do what it takes to enforce good governance at all levels in all government agencies in the executive branch. Accountability must reach not only politicians but also contractors, officials, and private beneficiaries. Procurement, project identification, and fund releases must become more transparent and digitally traceable.

Second, the administration must concentrate on economic fundamentals that directly improve household and family welfare. Inflation, food security, energy costs, decent employment, and wages deserve priority over projects whose benefits are distant or difficult to measure. Infrastructure spending should favor transportation, water, agriculture, digital connectivity, and climate resilience—investments that raise productivity while reducing everyday costs.

As a case in point, the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) proposed a hybrid Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model to upgrade and privatize the EDSA Busway operations. In a recent meeting with Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez, MAP representatives called his attention to the fact that there is no allocation for this vital project in the proposed 2027 national budget.

Third, the President must strengthen the foundations of national security and an independent foreign policy. The Philippines must continue defending its sovereign rights and the 2016 arbitral ruling while deepening strategic partnerships with ASEAN neighbors, Japan, the United States, Australia, India, South Korea, and Europe. Diplomacy and deterrence must reinforce, rather than undermine, each other.

For Congress, the overriding responsibility is to restore public confidence in the national budget. Lawmakers must resist the temptation to turn appropriations into political currency. Every peso must be traceable to a legitimate public purpose, with particular vigilance over so-called allocables, discretionary insertions, and infrastructure projects vulnerable to patronage.

Congress should also complete reforms that improve competitiveness, education, health care, agriculture, energy, and digital governance. It must exercise meaningful oversight without converting congressional inquiries into political theater. The remaining legislative calendar should be used for laws that will outlast personalities.

For the Judiciary, the imperative is to consolidate its gains in judicial innovation and strengthen public confidence in the rule of law. Judicial modernization must translate into faster case resolution, better court facilities, stronger digital systems, and improved access to justice.

The courts must continue confronting case backlogs and delays while upholding judicial independence. Speed must never come at the expense of fairness; independence must never become insulation from accountability.

With the impending retirement of Associate Justice Amy Lazaro Javier and chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, President Marcos has the opportunity to appoint two more magistrates before he completes his term.

Finally, all three branches must recognize a fourth constituency: the Filipino people.

The real measure of this administration by 2028 will not be the number of projects inaugurated, laws enacted, or speeches delivered. It will be whether Filipinos can say that government became more honest, the economy more productive, justice more accessible, and the nation more secure.

Any fair-minded assessment must grant that the incumbent office holders are mindful of their legal mandates and cognizant of the expectations of the citizenry. As such, they perform their duties with zeal and dedication. Hence, those that offer critiques — similar to what this writer is presently doing — must likewise concede that the actual execution of duties and responsibilities involves hurdling challenges in terms of sufficiency of funds, manpower and other resources .

As one who has experienced working for several government offices, it has been truly a remarkable educational experience — but such realization is attained only in hindsight.

There are fewer than two years left. This is the time for governing, not merely positioning for succession. The 2028 election will judge performance. We wish all incumbent public officials well as they devote themselves to the service of the Filipino people.

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