While it would take more than an hour and a half to address every problem facing the country, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.\u2019s fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) was most telling not in what was said but in what was deliberately left out.<\/p>\n
Like in his previous SONAs, Marcos gravitated toward topics that immediately resonate with the masses: cheaper rice, \u201clove bus\u201d zero-balance billing, overtime pay for public school teachers, and internet for all, among others. He even admitted that \u201cdata and statistics meant little to the public,\u201d an acknowledgement of how distant macroeconomic numbers are from the daily struggles of ordinary Filipinos.<\/p>\n
One of Marcos\u2019 strongest moments came when he condemned the systemic corruption in flood control projects, directly linking it to the extensive damage caused by the southwest monsoon and Typhoons \u201cCrising,\u201d \u201cDante,\u201d and \u201cEmong.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKitang-kita ko na maraming proyekto para sa flood control ay palpak at gumuho at \u2019yung iba, guni-guni lamang,\u201d Marcos said, exposing how public works meant to protect Filipinos had been turned into a web of \u201ckickbacks, initiatives, errata, SOP, for the boys.\u201d<\/p>\n
Calling out these practices, he thundered, \u201cKaya sa mga nakikipagsabwatan upang kunin ang pondo ng bayan at nakawin ang kinabukasan ng ating mga mamamayan, mahiya naman kayo sa inyong kapwa Pilipino! \u201d The President doubled down, appealing for justice for flood victims and future generations burdened by debt incurred through corruption: \u201cMahiya naman kayo sa mga kabahayan nating naanod o nalubog sa mga pagbaha. Mahiya naman kayo lalo sa mga anak natin na magmamana sa mga utang na ginawa ninyo, na binulsa n\u2019yo lang ang pera.\u201d<\/p>\n
The President\u2019s fury earned a standing ovation, deservedly so.<\/p>\n
But beyond these headline-grabbing pronouncements, his address skirted the heavier, more contentious issues: matters that require bold political capital, uncomfortable conversations, and clear strategies.<\/p>\n
Yet, for all the President\u2019s passion on corruption, the SONA remained silent on other pressing concerns.<\/p>\n
Consider online gambling. After banning Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) in 2024, many expected a decisive pronouncement against the mushrooming of domestic online gambling platforms. These platforms, plastered across major highways with promises of easy money, have bled households dry and normalized gambling addiction. Yet, the President chose silence.<\/p>\n
The West Philippine Sea, another conspicuous gap, was reduced to the same diplomatic line Marcos has used since 2022: that the Philippines is \u201ca friend to all, an enemy to none.\u201d This is a stark downgrade from last year\u2019s defiant promise not to yield \u201ca single inch\u201d of territory, especially at a time when Chinese incursions are intensifying.<\/p>\n
On the economy, Marcos delivered vague reassurances about resilience without confronting uncomfortable truths. There was no mention of our failure to achieve upper-middle-income status, the risks to meeting our GDP growth targets, or our growing trade vulnerabilities, particularly with the United States\u2019 stubborn 19% tariff on Philippine goods. His trip to Washington netted a mere 1% reduction, hardly the diplomatic triumph worth celebrating.<\/p>\n
The climate crisis, which Marcos recently downplayed as the \u201cnew normal,\u201d was treated with the same transactional lens. His solution? Audit flood projects and punish corrupt contractors. Necessary, yes, but woefully inadequate in the face of illegal logging, the collapse of reforestation programs, and the reported destruction of marine ecosystems in the West Philippine Sea.<\/p>\n
Labor, too, was neglected. Marcos neither endorsed nor explained his administration\u2019s position on a legislated wage hike, a pressing issue amid soaring living costs. Nor did he mention long-delayed bills like the SOGIE Equality Bill, divorce legislation, or any meaningful social reforms that would bring Philippine law in step with global norms.<\/p>\n
The ICC question, politically explosive as it may be, also went unmentioned. For a president whose predecessor faced international scrutiny for a bloody drug war, his silence is a calculated political maneuver. But in evading the issue, Marcos leaves Filipinos guessing about the country\u2019s position in a matter with huge implications for justice, diplomacy, and the rule of law.<\/p>\n
Finally, political instability within his own administration received zero acknowledgment. With Vice President Sara Duterte openly criticizing him and her Senate allies emboldened, Marcos had an opportunity to confront the fractures in his coalition. Instead, he offered the limp appeal to \u201cset aside differences.\u201d In place of his usual rhetoric of \u201cunity,\u201d the silence was deafening.<\/p>\n
The Marcos SONAs are developing a pattern: offer retail solutions to everyday problems, leave the intractable issues to post-SONA briefings by Cabinet secretaries, and avoid topics that could cost political capital.<\/p>\n
But governance is not about selective storytelling. It\u2019s about setting the tone for where the nation stands on its most pressing challenges. On this front, the President\u2019s address fell short.<\/p>\n
In an era of geopolitical tension, economic headwinds, climate uncertainty, and political volatility, what we need is not just a president who listens to what ordinary Filipinos want to hear but one who has the courage to speak about the difficult truths they need to confront.<\/p>\n
Until then, we remain a nation fed with soundbites and starved for vision.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
President Marcos\u2019 fourth SONA resonates with the masses, but what remains unaddressed speaks volumes about the courage required for genuine governance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88,"featured_media":256630,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19620],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-256629","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-power-play"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t