MANILA —President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday began his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) with a call for officials to set aside differences and fulfill their duties.
Marcos started his SONA by noting that the May mid-term elections, where his camp secured fewer than expected seats in the Senate, showed that people were "dismayed" with government services.
"Sa ating lahat dito, isangtabi na natin ang ating pagkakaiba at magkasundo na sa tatlong bagay na nagbibigkis sa atin: sa ating pagiging Pilipino, ang ating pagiging makabansa, at ang ating sinumpaang tungkulin sa taong-bayan," the President said.
"Malinaw sa akin ang mensahe ng naging resulta ng halalan: bigo at dismayado ang mga tao sa pamahalaan, lalo na sa pangunahing serbisyo. Ang leksyon sa atin ay simple lamang: kailangan pa nating lalong galingan, kailangan pa nating lalong bilisan," he continued.
Marcos's fourth SONA marks the start of the second half of his term — the period that one analyst said could "make or break" his administration's legacy.
"Sa huling 3 taon ng administrasyon, ibubuhos pa natin ang lahat-lahat hindi lang upang mapantayan kundi mahigitan pa ang pagbiibgay ginahawa sa ating mga mamamayan," he said.
He said his administration would focus on jobs, investments, and poverty alleviation.
Matthew David Ordoñez, a political science lecturer at De La Salle University, earlier noted that Marcos "had a rough start" in his presidency with agricultural woes, high inflation rates, and unemployment.
But Marcos has so far "recovered and survived with his valiant performances in foreign policy on top of political feuds with the Dutertes," Ordoñez told ABS-CBN News in an email exchange.
"The remaining years will make or break his administration. He will need to articulate his plans to move beyond survival mode and produce more significant results in his governance and [improve] the lives of the Filipino people," he said.
Based on a July Pulse Asia survey, controlling the rising prices of basic commodities and services topped the list of issues that Filipino adults wanted Marcos to address in his Monday's SONA.
"The top priorities of the Filipino people are still 'bread and butter' issues of controlling inflation, prices of goods, and employment. He should continue focusing on economic development policies," said Ordoñez.
He added that the president should demonstrate that reforming the country's socioeconomic planning agency would lead to "tangible policy outcomes rather than being merely an ornamental change."
Screenshot from RTVM
Vice President Sara Duterte earlier said she would skip the SONA.
The President's sister Sen. Imee Marcos said she other Duterte allies in the Senate would also be absent from the event.
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Marcos’ fourth SONA is expected to run “about over an hour”, the Palace earlier said.
This year's traditional SONA fashion was toned down in light of the recent storms that unleashed widespread flooding across the country.
FLOOD CONTROL
Ordoñez said the president should address disaster risk reduction and management, as well as environmental policies, to minimize the effects of flooding.
In a statement Sunday, the Teachers' Dignity Coalition said the Marcos administration failed to deliver on its promise to address widespread flooding, which it said has continued to disrupt school operations.
"Ang nasaksihan natin ilang araw pagkatapos ng SONA 2024 ay kabaligtaran. At nitong nakaraang linggo lamang, hindi naman kalakasan ang mga bagyo, pero matindi ang naging pagbaha kaya napilitan ang mga lokal na pamahalaan at maging ang Malacañang na magsuspinde ng klase nang buong linggo," the group's national chairperson Benjo Basas said in the release.
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(What we witnessed just days after the 2024 SONA was the opposite. And just this past week, although the storms weren't particularly strong, the flooding was so severe that local governments and even Malacañang were forced to suspend classes for the entire week.)
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In his SONA last year, Marcos reported that thousands of flood control projects had been completed and more were underway.
"Kung ganoon karami ang flood control project at binigyan pa ng napakalaking budget ang DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) ngayong 2025, bakit parang mas lumala ang mga pagbaha na kahit ang mga matataas na lugar, kahit pa mga bundok, ay binabaha na rin?" Basas asked.
(If there are that many flood control projects and the DPWH was even given a huge budget for 2025, then why does it seem like the flooding has gotten worse, reaching even elevated areas and even mountains?)
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Aries Arugay, chairperson of the University of the Philippines Diliman Department of Political Science, reminded Marcos that his majority mandate was a "big burden" that the Filipino electorate entrusted to him and his government.
"Let's remember that there were many campaign promises, and I do hope that our Filipino citizens would remember what these promises are and will hopefully ask and ensure that the Marcos Jr. administration delivers on this," Arugay told ANC in a recent interview.
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POGO, ONLINE GAMBLING
In his last year's SONA, Marcos announced a ban on Philippine offshore gaming operators that had been linked to various crimes — a move lauded even by his critics.
Ordoñez said Marcos should provide progress on controlling illegal immigration, human trafficking, and other POGO-related crimes.
"A decisive victory on this front would be an important show of force and boost confidence in his administration," he said.
Ahead of his Monday's SONA, Marcos is also under pressure to address online gambling that some say has been menacing poor Filipino families.
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EDUCATION SECTOR
Marcos needs to provide solutions to the country's education crisis, Ordoñez also said, noting that the Department of Education under Vice President Sara Duterte "was heavily scrutinized."
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"He would need to fix what his political opponent seemed to have broken in order to gain further advantage in his narrative against the Dutertes, while fixing education as a key ingredient to the nation's development," he said.
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The Teachers' Dignity Coalition in the same statement renewed its call for a substantial salary increase and educational reforms that included better benefits for education workers, job security for private school teachers, and a simplified and accessible system for performance evaluation and promotions, among others.
Marcos in his 2024 SONA promised that teachers would receive additional benefits expected to make their lives easier while performing their duties.
"Ilan sa mga isyung ito ay nabanggit na at naipangako na rin noong mga nakaraang SONA, pero hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin natutugunan," Basas said.
(Some of these issues have already been mentioned and promised in previous SONAs, but until now, they remain unaddressed.)
FOREIGN POLICY
Marcos' fourth SONA also comes just days after he returned from his trip to the United States, where he negotiated with US President Donald Trump to reduce the hefty tariffs imposed by the US against the Philippines.
The deal led to a 1 percentage-point reduction — now 19 percent against the previous 20 percent — after Manila agreed to open its market to Washington with zero trade dues.
The president described the deal as a "significant achievement," but some were not as impressed.
Moving forward, Marcos would "need to explain his strategy" because diplomacy and foreign trade have "become essential given the many current international issues the Philippines has to navigate," Ordoñez said, noting nevertheless that foreign policy is arguably Marcos' strength.
UP's Arugay said that he would be interested in how the tariff deal would be framed in Monday's SONA.
He is also interested in how the US trip, as well as the Philippines' relationship with the United States, "will be leveraged by Marcos Jr. in the remaining years of his administration."
"Historically, Philippine presidents have always tried to use foreign policy and particularly [their] relationship with great powers as a way to bolster their popularity and legitimacy," Arugay said.
WHAT WILL MARCOS SAY ABOUT IMPEACHMENT?
Marcos is entering the remaining half of his term with a fresh bump in ratings.
Ordoñez surmised that the delay of Sara Duterte's impeachment trial "may have improved" Marcos' approval ratings, "especially among the Duterte supporters."
When asked if he thinks Marcos would touch on the impeachment case of the vice president, Ordoñez said the president — who has distanced himself from the issue in past statements — "would have less to lose politically if the impeachment trial in the Senate were to proceed," as the midterm elections have concluded.
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"He can afford to deal with the impeachment quietly and let the process run its course. If VP Duterte is decisively impeached, then his legacy would be secured," Ordoñez said, referring to her possible conviction.
The Supreme Court on Friday however ruled that the impeachment case against Duterte was unconstitutional, saying it violated the order that bars the filing of the same complaint within a year.
The high court said that a fresh impeachment case against the vice president could only be filed in February next year.
"However, it may cause violent reactions from Duterte's followers, so he will need to handle it carefully," Ordoñez continued.
"He would still have three years before the blowback from the next elections can affect his legacy and cause Duterte's allies to get elected."