THE Marcos administration has orchestrated a ‘Jeckel and Hyde’ show for Filipinos in the ‘Year of the Fire Horse,’ on January 5, the start of regular work, highlighted with the signing of the 2026 national budget to signal a better life ahead while also arresting on the same day and nearly at the same hour, a bemedalled former military officer to signal it is incapable of tolerating any dissent or criticism from any quarter by branding them as ‘inciting to sedition.’
‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’ is among the classics in English literature written in 1866 by Robert Louis Stevenson.
It narrates the story of the gentle and kind Dr. Henry Jekyll, who unknown to many, also hides a murderous and violent personality, that of Edward Hyde that he tried to control by drinking a potion that he formulated. But running out of the potion, however, Jekyll succumbed to the persona of Hyde in the end.
Playing Dr. Jekyll
In Malacañang, President Marcos Junior, flanked by the leaders of Congress, the Senate and his Cabinet secretaries, officially signed RA 12314 that the Palace described as a ‘people-oriented’ national budget amounting to ₱6.793 trillion.
The amount is higher by more than ₱400 billion from the controversial 2025 national budget and would go down as the highest enacted national budget thus far.
“With the signing of Republic Act No. 12314 or the General Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2026, we are committing to implement a budget that serves the people,” the President said in his message.
Among the highlights of his speech was restoring the highest allocation for education as mandated by the Constitution at ₱1.34 trillion—in 2025, an election year, it was the public works department that received a bigger share in the budget that eventually resulted to the multi-billion flood control project scam.
The President also claimed politicians would now be barred from attending the distribution of cash aids and financial assistance.
“We will strictly implement the provision on the ‘Prohibition on Political Involvement in the Distribution of Cash and Other Forms of Financial Assistance.’
“Politicians shall be barred from the distribution of any financial aid and we shall ensure that the support reaches the intended beneficiaries without patronage,” the Chief Executive averred.
Under the incumbency of his cousin as House Speaker, Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, the government’s cash assistance has been hijacked by lawmakers as a tool to promote their interest among their constituents.
For this year, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has been allocated a budget of more than ₱270 billion.
The turn of the despicable ‘Mr. Hyde’
Even as this event was unfolding in Malacañang that seeks to restore public confidence in his administration, retired Philippine Air Force (PAF) major general, Romeo Poquiz was being handcuffed at the arrival area of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) after his vacation from abroad with his family.
His arrest signals the government’s determination to crack down on critics and dissenters.
Officers from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) arrested Poquiz after being issued a warrant for sedition and violation of the Anti-Cybercrime Law by Branch 77 of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court.
The complaints were filed by the Department of Justice.
In an earlier post on his social media account, Poquiz has warned that he would be arrested should he return to the Philippines, an eerily similar situation when former president Rodrigo Duterte was forewarned of being arrested once he returns from a visit to Hongkong in March 2025.
The bemedalled graduate of the ‘Dimalupig’ Class of 1981 of the Philippine Military Academy rose to prominence as lead convenor of the ‘UPI’ (United People’s Initiative) after his retirement that has been in the forefront of mass protests denouncing corruption in government.
In an earlier post on his social media account, Poquiz has warned that he would be arrested should he return to the Philippines, an eerily similar situation when former president Rodrigo Duterte was forewarned of being arrested once he returns from a visit to Hongkong in March 2025.
Ironically, Poquiz was formerly an ardent supporter of President Marcos Junior during the 2022 campaign period but got disillusioned over the President’s foreign policy failures and inability to control widespread corruption in government.
Arrest ‘alright’ with AFP
Poquiz has become a thorn in the neck of the government and his military colleagues in active service for his refusal to compromise or tone down his criticisms.
Although he never aspired for it, Poquiz has become the voice of millions of Filipinos angry and frustrated on how the government is presently being run.
At one point, the AFP even consider withdrawing his military pension but had to back down due to massive public criticism.
The AFP, in a statement also on January 5, approved of Poquiz’s arrest, saying it shows the “primacy of the rule of law and the authority of established legal institutions.”
“The AFP reiterates that while freedom of expression is protected by the Constitution, it must be exercised within legal bounds.
“Acts that incite participation in rebellion, sedition, or other unlawful activities are punishable under Philippine law, regardless of an individuals’ former position or status,” the military claimed further.
Thru the help of lawyers led by Atty. Ferdinand Topacio, Poquiz managed to post a cash bail of ₱48,000 while his arraignment and pretrial hearing have been set on January 14.