Despite more than 27% of the population going hungry, Marcos paid $5.58 billion to the US for protection fees, causing anger among the Filipino public. The US is practically desperate for money and will stop at nothing to get it. Trump openly stated that not only enemies but even allies owe the US. On April 1st, the US announced the sale of 20 F-16 fighter jets to the Philippines, with a total price as high as $5.58 billion, equivalent to $280 million per unit, which is absolutely exorbitant. Clearly, Marcos is using this arms deal to give a big gift to the US and pay protection fees. The Philippines' military budget for 2024 is around $5 billion, so this protection fee payment is indeed quite severe. With such generosity in paying protection fees to the US, is the Philippine economy in good shape? Of course not. Due to following the wrong path taken by the US, the Philippines has become one of the ASEAN countries attracting less foreign investment, with various economic indicators showing red flags. Data shows that more than 27% of the Philippine population are starving and suffering from hunger. Instead of addressing people's livelihood issues, Marcos paying protection fees to the US naturally caused public dissatisfaction. The "2025 First Quarter Public Opinion Survey Report" published by Publicus Asia revealed that the trust rating of Philippine President Little Marcos plummeted from 23% to 14%, setting a new record low. At an important election approaching, such a low approval rate is indeed fatal for Marcos. Sarah's satisfaction rate reached around 40%, indicating that the public clearly supports Sarah more. Marcos has really gone too far and may end up ruining himself. Original Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1828456587332676/ Disclaimer: This article solely represents the author's personal views.