In his 2025 State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos was quite candid in his admission: that the Filipino people feel disappointed and angry with his administration.
This week, as he once again steps in front of Congress to deliver the “accomplishments” of his administration in the twelve months since that admission, we are sure those sentiments will remain unchanged.
Let us not sugarcoat the facts: the state of the country’s economy, politics and society has worsened in the twelve months since his last SONA.
Runaway inflation has accelerated to its highest level at 7.2 percent in April 2026, the highest in three years. This added more pressure on Filipino families already struggling with the rising cost of living.
The recent “historic” wage hikes for Metro Manila’s minimum-wage earners have failed to catch up with the sharp rise in the prices of basic goods and commodities.
Add to this the seeming impunity in which the big business oligarchs who control our utilities, like Meralco, have been allowed to get away with imposing exorbitant, unexplainable charges.
The issue of corruption, including the billion-peso flood-control scandal, has not been resolved. In fact, it has morphed into a political witch-hunt, with those daring to speak out finding themselves being persecuted through “legal” means.
While some public officials were indeed jailed for their roles in the gigantic robbery of billions of pesos in public funds, the “big fish” who clearly got the lion’s share of the loot remain at liberty.
This year’s SONA will just be another distraction from the real issues of poverty and corruption.
It will also be delivered amid the unprecedented impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, a move some political analysts see as a desperate move to remove a highly-popular rival ahead of the 2028 elections.
We could go on with endless reasons why this administration has failed the Filipino people.
But all this can be summarized thus: Mr. President, the Filipino people are more than “bigo at galit.”
They are outraged.
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