CARMEN Palanay, a 71-year-old housewife living in Cagayan de Oro's most densely populated barangay, views the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as indistinguishable from previous ones.
Palanay, a resident of Macanhan, Carmen, said she has not experienced any change since the previous Duterte administration.
"They are all the same. They made promises to the people, but as soon as they assumed power, nothing happened to us," said Palanay.
However, Yolanda Sabelita, an 81-year-old neighbor, holds a different view of the one-year-old Marcos Jr. administration and even considers the President "god-sent."
Although Sabelita hasn't noticed any significant change since Marcos assumed office in 2022, she remains optimistic about the future under his administration.
"I am happy that he won the elections. Things will improve for the country in the coming years," she said.
Cagayan de Oro used to be a bailiwick of the opposition in Mindanao to the administration of the President's father, the late strongman Ferdinand E. Marcos, in the 1980s.
The mixed and contradictory feelings Kagay-anons have toward the second Marcos administration reflect the results of an independent national survey conducted by Octa Research from March 24 to 28.
Regional satisfaction ratings for the current administration varied significantly, ranging from 51% to 96%.
The Cordillera Administrative Region achieved the highest satisfaction rating at 96%, whereas the National Capital Region (NCR) recorded the lowest rating at 51%.
Zamboanga Peninsula and Northern Mindanao, however, stood out as the regions with the highest levels of dissatisfaction toward the Marcos Jr. administration, both at 18%.
Meanwhile, the NCR had the highest proportion of adult Filipinos who held ambivalent views toward the administration, with 35% expressing uncertainty.
The Cordillera Administrative Region and Central Visayas recorded the lowest percentage of ambivalent views at 4%.
Out of the 1,200 respondents nationwide in the Octa Research survey, 300 were from Mindanao, with a sample size of 60 respondents from Northern Mindanao.
The survey employed face-to-face interviews and had a margin of error of plus/minus 3% at a 95% confidence level.
"Across the socio-economic classes, Class ABC had an increase of 6% and Class D had a decrease of 5% on the satisfaction rating for the governance of the current administration from the last survey," Octa Research said.
People in Cagayan de Oro hold ambivalent views on Marcos Jr.'s performance in his first year in office, giving the President both high and failing marks.
Even those in the middle of the socio-political spectrum in the city provided mixed assessments.
Cagayan de Oro Councilor George Goking, the chairman of the Philippine Councilors' League (PCL) in Northern Mindanao, expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of Marcos Jr.'s administration, giving the President a failing mark of 70%.
"He simply cannot pass," said Goking.
He said many PCL members in the region shared his dissatisfaction with the Marcos administration because they felt Mindanao was being left behind once again.
"It was the exact opposite during the previous administration. It's like a case of 'balos-balos lang' (getting even)."
Marcos Jr.'s predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, paid much attention to Mindanao, particularly the Davao region where he once served as mayor. Marcos is from the Ilocos region in Luzon.
Goking, who chairs the city council's trade and commerce committee, opined that Marcos Jr. failed to implement the necessary measures to overcome the economic challenges confronting the country.
"It's not even a status quo. We are deteriorating. I feel sorry for the President. I'm sure he means well and is doing his best to solve our problems. But he is out of touch with reality and fails to see the actual situation on the ground. People are suffering, and he is oblivious because those around him only present him with positive images," Goking said.
Cagayan de Oro Mayor Rolando Uy, however, holds a different perspective and gave Marcos Jr.'s first year in office a satisfaction rating of 9, with 10 being the highest.
Uy said on Thursday, June 29, that Marcos stayed focused on his work "despite widespread criticisms from all fronts."
He cited Marcos's efforts to attract foreign investors in an attempt to revive the economy after the devastating Covid-19 pandemic and the impact of the crisis in Europe resulting from the Russia-Ukraine war.
"I see that he is really giving his best," Uy said.
Another Cagayan de Oro councilor, James Judith, gave Marcos a mark of 80% to 85%.
Like Uy, Judith said that "although the President is far from perfect, he should at least have a passing mark" for his efforts.
"Based on his pronouncements, he has not delivered much, but I see that he has been working to lay the foundations for these to be delivered to the people," Judith said.
While Marcos did not deliver on his promise to substantially lower rice prices during the 2022 presidential campaign, the prices of some agricultural products, such as onions and sugar, have recently decreased, according to Judith.
"This shows that he is serious in addressing the problems of the country. Let's give him time," said Judith.
Since he assumed office, Marcos Jr. has been heading the Department of Agriculture (DAR), and has not heeded calls for him to appoint someone whose expertise is on agriculture.
Lawyer Dale Bryan Mordeno, a former president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) in Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro, neither gave Marcos a passing nor a failing mark.
But Mordeno said, "He needs improvement, especially on the issue of corruption in all government fronts, both local and national. He is not addressing it at the moment. It doesn't seem to be a top priority for him."
Regarding the country's peace and security problem, Bishop Felixberto Calang of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) gave the President a failing mark.
"As a peace advocate, my expectations were high for the President to explore the possibility of ending the armed conflict" between the government and communist rebels, he said.
Calang said red-tagging, which began during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte, has continued, and there are no signs that Marcos is interested in resuming the stalled peace talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front.
He said the Marcos Jr. administration needs to work on addressing the socio-political and economic marginalization of many Filipinos, especially in the countryside, which has been causing the rebellion.
