Priorities.
It is a simple, one-word concept, yet it seems to be the very thing that confuses President Bongbong Marcos (BBM). To understand why, we only need to look at the numbers. And the numbers tell a story of glaring disparities.
The Half-Billion Coliseum
Flashback to February 2026. President Marcos visited Naga City to personally hand over the funding for the rehabilitation and modernization of the Jesse M. Robredo Coliseum. The beneficiary of this windfall? Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo.
The amount released through a Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) from the Department of Budget and Management? A staggering ₱500 million.
For a museum and a city with a population of just over 200,000 people, half a billion pesos is a massive injection of funds. On paper, it sounds like a generous gesture for local infrastructure. But context is everything.
The Hundred-Million Rubble
Fast forward to yesterday, June 10, 2026. General Santos City. A devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake has just ravaged parts of Mindanao. Homes are destroyed, livelihoods are shattered, and the city hall is left in ruins.
Proudly, BBM announced that General Santos City would receive financial assistance to repair the damaged city hall.
The amount? ₱100 million.
For a highly urbanized city with an estimated population of nearly 900,000 people that has just been severely battered by a catastrophic natural disaster, this is the only amount they received.
The Political Arithmetic
This is where the term "priorities" stops being a political buzzword and becomes a glaring insult.
Let’s look at the political math. As a leader, Marcos allocated half a billion pesos to a construction project in a city led by someone he lost to in the vice-presidential race—someone who had previously demonized him for years, branding him with hashtags like #Sinungaling and #Magnanakaw.
Yet, for the actual, breathing victims of a deadly earthquake in General Santos City, only ₱100 million is spared.
What is this for? Optics. The message sent to the public is clear: Malacañang cares more about projecting a magnanimous image to its critics than it does about taking care of the disaster victims in its own bailiwick. He doesn’t seem to care about the Mindanawons; he cares about his image.
A Betrayal of Mindanao
This is a massive insult to the millions who voted for and supported him in the last elections. Let’s not forget that in the 2022 presidential election, General Santos City was one of Marcos’ strongest urban vote centers in the entire Mindanao region.
The numbers do not lie:
- BBM: 152,703 votes (84.8%)
- Leni Robredo: 27,344 votes (15.2%)
GenSan delivered. GenSan overwhelmingly supported him. And what do they get in return? Neglect. They are treated as an afterthought, handed a fraction of what a rival’s pet project receives.
This glaring disparity is exactly why the whispers of separation in Mindanao continue to grow louder. When the people feel neglected, undervalued, and treated as second-class citizens by the very government they voted for, resentment brews. They are not given much value.
₱500 million for a coliseum in Naga. ₱100 million for a ruined city in GenSan.
Priorities, indeed. But the question is: whose priorities?
General Santos City deserves better. Mindanao deserves better. And the Filipino people deserve a leader whose priorities don't stop at political optics.
What do you think, Balitang Huli readers? Is this a case of misplaced priorities, or just business as usual in Malacañang? Drop your thoughts in the comments below, and SHARE this article to let the nation know that GenSan is watching!
#BalitangHuli #GenSan #Mindanao #Priorities #BBM #GenSanEarthquake #SpecialFeature
.jpg)
