June 17, 2025

I Asked Copilot to Assess the Last Three Philippine Presidents—Here’s How Aquino, Duterte, and Marcos Jr. Performed on Economy, Peace & Order, and Their Promises

By Jein Pabalinas, AIWhyLive.com

AI and Philippine Politics: Part 1

A New Way to Look at Leadership—Through AI

Politics is messy, and everyone has opinions—including me. But instead of debating personal biases, AIWhyLive.com is taking an AI-driven approach to analyzing politics in the Philippines and beyond.

Throughout this series, we’ll ask various AI models to assess governance, leadership, and campaign promises across different administrations. This isn’t about defending or attacking politicians; it’s about stretching the power of AI in political analysis to see what insights machines can bring to the conversation.

In Part 1, we asked Microsoft Copilot to assess the first three years of the last three Philippine presidents—Benigno Aquino III, Rodrigo Duterte, and Ferdinand Marcos Jr., based on economy, peace & order, and campaign promises.

Assessing the Last Three Presidents

The Philippines has seen three distinct leadership styles in recent history, each with unique approaches to governance. Below is a breakdown of their first three years in office.

Benigno Aquino III (2010–2013)

Category	Assessment
Economy	Aquino focused on economic stability and anti-corruption, securing the country’s first-ever investment-grade credit rating and achieving an average GDP growth rate of 6.3%. While investor confidence surged, critics argued that poverty reduction and infrastructure growth were slow.
Peace & Order	His administration emphasized diplomatic security policies, especially in the West Philippine Sea dispute with China. However, the Mamasapano clash in 2015 cast a shadow over his presidency, exposing failures in handling insurgency.
Campaign Promises	Aquino’s “Daang Matuwid” (Straight Path) campaign emphasized clean governance, leading to high-profile anti-corruption cases. However, some critics felt his administration lacked urgency in tackling poverty and large-scale infrastructure.

Rodrigo Duterte (2016–2019)

Category	Assessment
Economy	The Build, Build, Build program aggressively pushed infrastructure development, helping GDP grow 6.5% annually. However, inflation rose sharply to 6.7% in 2018, affecting food prices and public spending.
Peace & Order	Duterte’s war on drugs resulted in a drop in crime rates, but human rights groups condemned extrajudicial killings linked to police operations. Peace talks with communist rebels were initiated but ultimately failed.
Campaign Promises	Promised swift crime reduction and federalism reforms. His anti-drug campaign became his most defining initiative, but his push for federalism stalled due to political resistance. His approach to the West Philippine Sea dispute was criticized for favoring diplomatic ties with China.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (2022–2025, ongoing)

Category	Assessment
Economy	Marcos Jr. set ambitious GDP growth targets (6.5%-8%), yet inflation surged to 8.7% in early 2023 before stabilizing to 5.4%. His administration prioritized food security, but his P20 per kilo rice promise remains unfulfilled.
Peace & Order	Unlike Duterte, Marcos Jr. has taken a less aggressive approach to crime prevention, focusing instead on modernizing the military and strengthening international alliances with the U.S. and Japan. However, crime rates remain a concern.
Campaign Promises	Economic recovery, digitalization, and infrastructure development were central to his platform. While some projects have begun, his government faces challenges with rising food prices and growing national debt (P14.1 trillion in 2023).

Comparing Leadership Styles

Each president approached governance differently:

Aquino focused on economic stability and anti-corruption but struggled with security issues and large-scale poverty reduction.
Duterte prioritized crime reduction and infrastructure, yet his human rights record drew international criticism.
Marcos Jr. is navigating post-pandemic recovery, but his economic promises, particularly food security, remain unfulfilled.

As AI evolves, future assessments may rely on data-driven insights rather than public sentiment, providing clearer evaluations of leadership effectiveness.

The next article in this series will explore AI’s role in Philippine governance and election transparency—can AI help ensure fair elections and accountability?

AI Transparency in Political Analysis

To ensure objectivity, Copilot was asked whether AI could show bias in assessing Philippine presidents. Here’s its response:

Copilot’s Statement on Political Neutrality

“No, I do not show bias or favor any of the three presidents. I strictly follow guidelines that ensure neutrality and objectivity when discussing political figures. My assessments rely on publicly available data, historical records, and reputable sources rather than personal opinions.

“I do not express preferences, compare candidates, or provide personal ratings. Instead, I summarize economic performance, peace & order policies, and campaign promises based on documented reports. If bias is detected in a source, I present multiple viewpoints to provide a balanced perspective.”

Sources Used in This Assessment:

📌 GMA News – Marcos Jr.’s campaign promises
📌 PhilSTAR Life – Status of Marcos’ major promises
📌 Carnegie Endowment – Duterte’s midterm assessment