When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. — African proverb
In the global scene, there is so much disruption caused by hegemonic nations that analysts likened the situation to Richard Nixon’s “madman theory” — where a leader intentionally cultivates a reputation for being irrational, erratic, or unstable to intimidate adversaries and negotiate a deal.
In the Philippines, when headlines are slanted at impeachment and other optics that are far from the need to proactively respond to the imminent crisis, people are beginning to wonder if politics suspiciously playing for personal survival gains is all worth it. Social listening points at disappointment of the public, which is clamoring for more sustained strategic and immediate tactical moves.
The crisis due to the Middle East war is not addressed well in a magnitude that it could insulate the people from imminent suffering.
There is so much noise in politics that the wailing and howling of the people are unheard by those who lead.
Here are some data that present the situationer, which is not dependent on who’s going to be elected in 2028. The need for resolution is so immediate that failure to do so may lead to damage beyond repair. Political will toward a shared nation vision is the desperate source of optimism. These issues appear chained together to burden the Filipino people.
Filipinos die without seeing a medical professional.
Out of 701,884 deaths (2024), 42.3 percent (296,897) deaths are not attended by health care providers. This translates to 813 Filipinos dying every day without being seen by a health professional.
Filipinos suffer from inadequate health care.
The shortage of medical professionals is described as a “massive workforce gap” that threatens national health security. The health human resource gap is approximately 290,000 health professionals to bridge the gap of 21.2 health care workers per 10,000 people (WHO 44.5).
Health care facilities and resources are all short of what is envisioned by the Universal Health Care Act.
Filipino mothers and child die.
Filipino mothers and child die in the course of normal pregnancy and childbirth, a sensitive indicator of nations’ health. In the Philippines (2025), there were approximately 119 deaths per 100,000 live births (SDG 3.1 target of 70 deaths and East Asia benchmark is 74). The neonatal mortality rate is estimated at 12 per 1,000 births, and the infant mortality rate is 17/1,000 births. Teenage pregnancy is high at 4.8 percent.
Filipinos carry the cross of chronic poverty.
Millions of Filipinos remain below the poverty threshold. Rural poverty is particularly acute, where a “circular poverty trap” persists. Poverty incidence is 13.2–14.5 (PSA/NEDA), self-rated poverty is 51 percent and food poverty is 41 percent (2025).
High inflation and food insecurity beset families.
NEDA identifies “accelerated inflation” as a primary social ill in the Philippine Development Plan 2023–2028. The annual inflation rate rose to 2.4 percent in February 2026, up from 2.0 percent in January. This represents a 13-month high. Prices of petroleum products impact prices of basic commodities.
Unemployment and underemployment soar.
The current unemployment rate is 5.8 percent (2.96 million Filipinos), the highest jobless rate recorded since June 2022. Underemployment rate is 13.2 percent (6.34 million Filipinos), increasing from the 8.0 percent recorded in December 2025 (DOLE).
The end of school year 2026, 1.8 million Senior High School (SHS) students are projected to graduate and approximately 800,000 to 900,000 students are expected to complete their baccalaureate degrees in 2026. These graduates will search for jobs, as we expect retrenchment among businesses, of which 99.63 percent are struggling micro-small and medium enterprises.
There is a “troubling” attrition rate, noting that nearly 4 out of 10 Filipino college students (approx. 39 percent) drop out before completion due to financial difficulties.
Filipinos in economic exile.
There are an estimated 10 to 12 million Filipinos overseas, mostly women (57.2 percent), of whom 68.4 percent are engaged in routine manual or domestic tasks. Remittances reached a record P262.20 billion in 2024 (PSA 2025). While the economic benefits are clear, the social cost and “the price of survival,” like family fragmentation and distressed children, are documented by studies.
Filipino children suffer from stunting and malnutrition.
The Philippines ranks in the bottom tier globally for child stunting. Data highlight that nearly 1 in 3 Filipino children under five suffer from chronic malnutrition, affecting their long-term cognitive development (WHO and Unicef, 2025).
Morbidity related to stunting remains a “silent emergency.” The Philippines ranks 9th globally in the total number of stunted children, a condition that increases long-term morbidity and susceptibility to infections.
Literacy learning, poverty and education crisis.
The Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2) describes a “generational crisis” characterized by a systemic failure to provide foundational skills, leading to a massive “learning gap” that worsens as students advance through the system. It includes plunging proficiency rates, fragmented governance, teaching and assessment issues, and education-labor market gaps. The Edcom reports have exposed all problems and have logically proposed solutions.
Injustice and lack of national vision.
The recent flood control anomaly, with glaring evils of conspiracy and corruption, failed to convict the criminals, especially those government leaders who seem to have not been shaken by the national stir and global humiliation.
Endemic corruption kills Philippine progress.
Corruption remains a structural barrier. The Philippines ranked 120th (out of 182 countries) in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2025 (CPI) of Transparency International and dropped six places from the previous year, reaching its lowest level since the current scoring system began in 2012.
Among Southeast Asian nations, the Philippines only outperformed Cambodia and Myanmar.
Philippine electoral system remains hopeless.
Elections could have empowered Filipinos in a democracy — with voters education — but remain burdened by the issues of unscrupulous powerful political dynasties, systematic vote buying, and technological paradox filled with glitches, VCM ghosts that fuel conspiracy theories about pre-programmed results. And election fever fills the air already.
Philippines remains vulnerable to climate change.
The Philippines ranked first (out of 193 countries) as most disaster prone globally (World Risk Index, 2025); ranked 19th medium performer but dropped 12 spots (Climate Change Performance Index, 2026); labeled as resilient but strained (OECD Survey, 2026), and almost sufficient but needs better unconditional targets (Climate Action Tracker).
Criminality and justice.
The country’s criminality rate saw a significant downward trend by 12.4 percent in focused crime volume (35,717 in 2025, from 40,771 incidents in 2024).
In the judiciary, the case disposition rate is 19 percent, which is a “breakthrough” reform along digitalization and expansion of courts. The most significant “social ill” remains in the overcrowding of inhumane detention facilities.
The Philippines maintains a “medium” performance classification and is currently ranked in the bottom third of the 142 countries surveyed globally. Within the East Asia and Pacific region, the Philippines consistently ranks near the bottom (World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, 2025).
Well, impeach everyone impeachable who deserves it, but drain not the productive energy to address the problems that matter. Punish everyone in the extreme deterrent manner that the justice system prescribes, but do not use the laws for a few to benefit. Government must rally the people together against the crisis, not against each other. That is leadership. In the end, the people must win.