Asia & Oceania

Philippines

Political journey

Colonized by Spain and then by the United States, the Philippines became independent in 1946. Ferdinand Marcos ruled from 1965 and declared martial law in 1972, until the 1986 People Power revolution. Democratic politics has been personality-driven, including Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war, and since 2022 the presidency has been held by Marcos’s son, Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Philippines today

Its current leader’s position on the ten Caucus dimensions.

💰EconomyLeaning free market
State-ledFree market
⚖️Liberty and authorityLeaning authoritarian
LibertarianAuthoritarian
🎭CultureLeaning traditional
ProgressiveTraditional
🌍NationLeaning nationalist
GlobalistNationalist
🌱EnvironmentSlightly growth-first
Growth-firstNature-first
🤖TechnologyLeaning tech-optimist
Tech-cautiousTech-optimist
🕊️War and peaceLeaning strength-first
Peace-firstStrength-first
🏛️InstitutionsCentered on institutions
Anti-establishmentInstitutional
🙏ReligionLeaning religious
SecularReligious
🛡️InterventionismSlightly interventionist
Non-interventionistInterventionist

Who leads Philippines today

Portrait of Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

President of the Philippines, 2022 to present

The son of the dictator ousted in 1986 won in a landslide, focusing on infrastructure and food prices while facing tensions with China in the South China Sea.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sits in the right-authoritarian part of the Caucus economy and liberty compass: leaning free market and leaning authoritarian. The clearest positions are leaning traditional on culture, leaning authoritarian on liberty and authority and leaning nationalist on nation. The profile is close to the middle on institutions.

Full profile of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. →

Political views closest to Philippines’s leadership

National conservatismPrioritizes national sovereignty, cultural identity, tradition and firm borders.96%GaullismA French tradition of national independence, a strong presidency and a leading role for…96%CorporatismOrganizes society into industry and professional bodies that bargain with the state, an…96%Thatcherism and ReaganismFree-market economics, tax cuts, deregulation and a firm stance toward the Soviet Union.96%

Other people from Philippines

Corazon Aquino President of the Philippines, 1986 to 1992Ferdinand Marcos President of the Philippines, 1965 to 1986

Countries with similar leadership

Ranked by how close their current leaders are on the ten dimensions.

ThailandAsia & Oceania99%NigeriaAfrica & Middle East99%Democratic Republic of the CongoAfrica & Middle East99%LibyaAfrica & Middle East99%

Country histories are short summaries. Positions are simplified estimates of the leaders included in Caucus as of October 2026, and percentages show how close two profiles are across all ten dimensions.