Crisis response, not 2028 polls, Marcos’ priority – Palace

LocalPolitics
27 Apr 2026 • 9:13 PM MYT
The Manila Times
The Manila Times

One of the longest-running English broadsheets in the Philippines

Crisis response, not 2028 polls, Marcos’ priority – Palace

MANILA, Philippines — Addressing the energy crisis and alleviating the lives of Filipinos are the top priorities of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and not the forging of alliances for the 2028 national elections, Malacañang said on Monday.

In a Palace briefing, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro said it is still too early to talk about politics and reiterated that the president’s focus is finding solutions to the problems the country is facing, particularly the effects of the hostilities in the Middle East.

Marcos, she said, has not yet thought of any name to endorse as his successor.

 “Right now, for the president, it is too early to talk about who will run for president in the next election,” Castro said in Filipino.

“The president is focused on working. The President is focused on addressing the effects of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East so that the supply of petroleum products to our country continue. The President is not focused on politics right now. Work first,” she added.

 Marcos is bent on providing support for those badly affected by the war between the United States and Iran which triggered the prices of petroleum products and other commodities to increase astronomically, the official further noted.