Economic concerns, rising inflation, joblessness, low wages, and a perceived lack of productivity are some of the emerging factors behind the drop in pro-administration support.

[31] Marcos's leadership style was described by his press secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles as being "more systematic and efficient", compared to his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, who was driven by passion.

The Marcos administration also created a "pool" system, in which the Presidential Communications Office limits the number of media members who could attend press briefings or cover certain events.

[42] Upon the recommendation of his Chief Presidential Legal Counsel, Juan Ponce Enrile, Marcos rejected the plan of Rodriguez to grant himself additional powers as Marcos's new Presidential Chief of Staff following his resignation as Executive Secretary on September 17 due to issues involving his roles in the sugar importation order fiasco and contentious appointments of some government officials.

[47][48]The Marcos administration faced challenges during this period such as a domestic sugar supply shortage in mid-2022, rising inflation rate brought about by the pandemic, and the economic effects of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

[89] Marcos issued an executive order allowing voluntary use of face masks in outdoor settings,[90] and extended from September 13 to December 31, 2022, the period of the state of calamity declared by his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, due to the COVID-19.

[106] Marcos signed his fourth executive order on September 14, 2022, which establishes a one-year moratorium on the amortization and interest payments of agrarian reform beneficiaries.

[108] On his 65th birthday, September 14, 2022, Marcos signed his fourth executive order imposing a one-year moratorium on the amortization and interest payments of agrarian reform beneficiaries, which is seen to "lead to freedom of farmers from debts".

[117] By September 9, the deadline imposed by the ICC Office of the Prosecutor's (OTP) for the Philippine government to comment on the resumption of the investigation on the war on drugs, Guevara formally requested the ICC to deny the request of the ICC-OTP to resume the investigation; Guevara maintained that "the alleged murder incidents that happened during the relevant period do not constitute 'crimes against humanity', considering that said incidents do not qualify as an 'attack' against the civilian population".

[119] However, former Senator and President Duterte's staunch critic Antonio Trillanes remarked on April 24, 2024, that ICC investigators have "already directly communicated with more than 50 active and former PNP [police] officials" regarding their implication in the drug war.

[121] Amid a series of reported abductions in the country, several senators urged Marcos to issue a strong directive and act swiftly on the matter.

By September 13, Marcos explained that the war on illegal drugs is "of internal matter", opting to leave it out of his First State of the Nation Address; he said a working group was still formulating policies for his anti-drug campaign, with a focus on prevention and rehabilitation.

[154] The Marcos administration approved the inclusion of the Philippines to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) free trade agreement, which was ratified by the Senate on February 21, 2023.

[162] In August 2022, the Commission on Audit (COA) flagged the Department of Education (DepEd) for the purchase of allegedly overpriced and outdated 39,583 laptops worth ₱2.4 billion back in 2021 for online classes at the height of the pandemic.

[170] In an attempt to achieve "simplicity, economy, and efficiency" in the bureaucracy, Marcos, on June 30, 2022, issued his first executive order abolishing the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) created by Duterte in 2017, and the Office of the Cabinet Secretary.

[171] The powers and functions of PACC were transferred to the Office of the Deputy Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs, while the existing Cabinet Secretariat will be under the Presidential Management Staff.

Next-in-rank and most senior officials were to fill up the positions as officer-in-charge (OIC), although casual employees whose contracts were to expire on June 30, 2022, were allowed to serve only until July 31, 2022, unless earlier terminated or renewed.

[172] Rodriguez, on July 29, extended the terms of the OICs until December 31, or until a replacement has been made, "to ensure the continuous and effective delivery of government services".

[173] On July 23, 2022, Marcos vetoed a bill strengthening the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC) of the Department of Justice, citing "excessive grant of remuneration, incentives, benefits, allowances, and honoraria" to employees and hired lawyers.

[181] The bill has been approved in January 2022 by both the Senate and the House of Representatives of the 18th Congress, but has been transmitted to Malacañang for Duterte to act upon only on June 24, six days before his presidency ended.

[199][200][201] Marcos pursued the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP), which will phase out old traditional jeepneys and replace them with modern public utility vehicles; it resulted in a weeklong nationwide transport strike in March 2023, forcing Marcos to order the government to review the PUVMP "to ensure that everything is taken into consideration under the program, including the grievances of our drivers and operators".

[207] In August, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board started reopening several pre-pandemic public utility vehicle routes in Metro Manila in preparation for face-to-face classes.

[210][211] Amid the weakening of the communist fronts by the military, in May 2023, Marcos directed the "recalibration" of the NTF-ELCAC to shift its previous "aggressive" policy and become "bringers of peace".

[214] In a surprise reversal of Duterte's policy, Marcos announced in November 2023 the revival of peace talks with the communists, a move critics see as a grave mistake.

[218] About 1.3 million beneficiaries identified by the social welfare department as no longer poor were to face removal from the cash assistance program, which may free ₱15 billion to be distributed to "other qualified persons".

He acknowledged the necessity of closer cooperation with his country's allies if the disputes escalated to war, as China's military capabilities are nearly 15 times "stronger" than the Philippines.

In the early days of the conflict, while he was still campaigning, Marcos initially suggested there was no immediate need for the Philippines to take a stand on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

[281] Protest have been mostly conducted by progressive and opposition groups due to the violent and plunderous legacy of the Marcos family during the martial law era and throughout the rule of his father, former President Ferdinand Marcos;[282] unpaid real-estate taxes;[281] alleged electoral fraud[281] during the 2022 presidential elections; instances of fake news and historical distortion;[281] cases of human rights violations such as extra-judicial killings and the continuing war on drugs;[283] and other social issues.

[288] In a "prayer rally" held in Cebu City, the former president made numerous remarks denouncing Marcos' People's Initiative and the subsequent economic constitutional amendments.

[294] There were protests on how Marcos and Congress were "shamelessly fooling" people in enacting the 2025 national budget, with columnist Boo Chanco saying that "BBM could have saved the day but he connived with Congress in his token veto of P26.065 billion worth of projects under the DPWH and P168.240 billion allocated under “Unprogrammed Appropriations.” Chanco added that "not surprisingly, BBM kept intact the pork funds inserted in the DPWH budget.