Pay raise or risk management?

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s announcement of higher pay and allowances for military and uniformed personnel may sound like overdue recognition, but its timing raises eyebrows.

Just weeks earlier, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. publicly acknowledged growing unease within the ranks — anger rooted not in politics, but in corruption.

“We know what is happening, and we are just people also. We get angry, and we are angry at what is happening to our country,” Brawner said in October.

That anger now has receipts. Tasked with auditing government flood control projects, the military has uncovered 252 “ghost projects.” Soldiers see the waste themselves, and resentment is rising.

This is not the first morale booster. In September, the government released P1.64 billion in performance-based bonuses to more than 110,000 Army personnel — up to 45.5 percent of monthly basic pay for qualified troops. The payout came just before the AFP started reporting ghost projects found during inspections.

Now comes Marcos’ latest move. On 3 December, the administration announced pay hikes to be rolled out in tranches on 1 January 2026, 2027 and 2028, plus a P350 daily subsistence allowance starting 1 January 2026.

The package may ease dissatisfaction, but it also acts as a pressure valve at a moment when the government needs the military steady and apolitical.

Higher pay can buy goodwill. It should not buy silence. If corruption goes unpunished, no allowance will erase the resentment Brawner warned of.

Recognition is welcome, but accountability — not compensation — will decide whether this is reform or mere risk management. 

Cultish

Last Friday, 28 November, the ICC denied Rodrigo Duterte’s request for an interim release over flight-risk concerns. While that was unfolding, something stranger erupted online. 

Livestreams of supporters recording their reactions looked less like political watch parties and more like fans filming their Game 7 NBA Finals reactions — shaky camera angles, frantic commentary, and worshipful chants for their “Tatay Digs” — the way basketball fans crown LeBron as “our glorious king.”

Fine. Fan behavior is normal. But then came the candles.

Candles. Prayer circles. Whispered invocations as if the ICC were judging a saint, not a former president facing serious allegations. My first reaction was: “What the hell is this?” At what point did the supporters decide, “You know what this needs? Candles.”

This is no longer political loyalty. This is devotion. Blind, absolute devotion to one man and the dynasty orbiting him. Whoever the Dutertes dislike becomes enemy number one. Whoever questions them becomes a heretic.

When did politicians become idols? Public officials aren’t gods, saints, or saviors. They are employees. They exist to serve the people, not rule over them. We do not bow to them. They are the ones who should bow to us. They will always, always be below us.

If they fail us, we replace them. That is how a democracy works.

Food control mess

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) recently claimed that ₱P500 was enough for a Noche Buena meal for a family of four. 

DTI Secretary Cristina Roque said the amount could cover ham, spaghetti, fruit or macaroni salad, and 10 pieces of pandesal — depending on how many mouths needed feeding.

Speaking as someone from a family of four, P500 might feed us — but only if we settle for instant noodles, street-style fried chicken, a 1.5-liter cola and the cheapest 3-in-1 ice cream.

But Noche Buena isn’t just any meal. It’s a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Yes, it’s not solely about the menu, but wouldn’t it hurt to prepare food worthy of the occasion? P500 might fill stomachs, but it doesn’t truly suffice.

Rather than offering budget meal advice that limits expectations, why not fix the real issue? Impose price ceilings on basic goods. Ensure markets follow commodity prices. Make vegetables, meat, rice and other staples affordable.

Statements like Roque’s normalize shrinking the capacity of ordinary families without addressing the root causes of high prices: low wages, multiple middlemen, costly logistics — and corruption.

I’d love to see officials who claim P500 is enough for Noche Buena actually prove it. 

Merry crisis.