The 2025 State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. might as well be called one of the most “candid” speeches a President ever made.
Despite glowing statistics of economic growth, slowing inflation and confidence among the business sector that the economy can weather the shocks of global events, even Marcos himself was aware that his “best wasn’t good enough.”
“Bigo at dismayado ang mga tao sa pamahalaan, lalo na sa mga pangunahing serbisyo,” was how the President put it in the beginning of his speech.
“Kung datos lang ang pag-uusapan, maganda ang ating ekonomiya, tumaas ang kumpiyansa ng mga negosyante. Bumaba ang inflation, dumami ang trabaho. Ngunit ang lahat ng ito ay palamuti lamang, walang saysay, kung ang ating kababayan naman ay hirap pa rin at nabibigatan sa kanilang buhay,” was his virtual confession.
Far from a scorecard of his administration’s achievements (although he did present some impressive gains in his one-hour SONA), Marcos now faced a virtual “scarecard”: a blunt reminder that three years into his term, his administration hasn’t yet achieved its most basic goals.
Corruption
The biggest laughs (from a disgruntled public) came when the President chastised public officials for the massive corruption that was pinpointed as the cause of the floods that plagued Metro Manila and nearby provinces two weeks ago.
“Mahiya naman kayo,” Marcos told officials who were responsible for “kickbacks, initiatives, errata, SOP, for the boys” that resulted in substandard flood-control infrastructure.
It was Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong who put it correctly: that message should’ve been directed to the congressmen sitting before the President who had the effrontery to applaud that “strong” message against corruption.
Magalong, after the SONA, claimed that it was the lawmakers themselves who receive kickbacks worth 30 to 40 percent (OpinYon sources said it could be as much as 50 percent, or half) of major infrastructure projects, resulting in poor-quality projects that take months, even years, to complete.
Economy
Another “sore spot” PBBM should look into in his last three years, according to concerned sectors, is the fact that the country’s projected economic situation essentially contradicts the actual situation on the ground.
Just last July 30, for instance, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted that the Philippine economy is expected to grow by 5.9 percent by 2026.
“The Philippine economy holds significant potential with a sizable demographic dividend and abundant natural resources. The government has been undertaking reforms to reduce infrastructure, health and education gaps, promote foreign direct investment, and diversify the country’s export markets,” IMF Mission Chief Elif Saxegaard was quoted as saying.
Those banal words, however, are bound to be dismissed by ordinary Filipinos who believe the quality of living has actually worsened during the first three years of PBBM's term.
Unemployment, poverty
Latest data provided by the Philippine Statistics (PSA) showed that 2.03 million Filipinos - or 3.9 percent of the total population - were out of jobs as of May 2025.
While that number was slightly lower than the 4.1 percent reported in April, the escalating conflict in Iran and Israel and the recent weeklong weather disturbances are sure to drive the number of unemployed Filipinos up.
To recall, the first six months of his term was marked by prices of gasoline products zooming up to as high as P100 per liter – a situation that in turn caused a domino effect on the prices of basic goods and commodities.
And to recall, a survey conducted by OpinYon Laguna showed that many are still waiting in vain for that most basic campaign pledge of the President: the P20-per-kilo rice.
Not to mention, of course, that Marcos is still unable to dislodge the menace of large water and electricity concessionaires who still prey on ordinary Filipinos with high charges and subpar services.
A rising threat
But there’s one thing that the President should be scared of even more than a tanking economy or a shaky peace and order situation: the rise of a political power that will be, in the long run, a threat to his own family’s political future.
We’re talking about House Speaker Martin Romualdez, PBBM’s cousin, whose re-election as leader of the Lower House before the SONA is indicative of his latent power in the legislative branch of government.
Rumors have been swirling about Romualdez’s grip on Marcos, Jr., allegedly aided and abetted by the President’s wife and some other close associates who are anxious to preserve themselves against a strong pushback by their biggest political rival, the Dutertes.
By the way, it should be pointed out that Romualdez has also quietly built up a media empire through the Prime Media Holdings, Inc. (PMHI).
PHMI had taken advantage of the shutdown of media giant ABS-CBN and, using the latter’s assets, is now building up a growing chain of radio and television stations across the country.
Some political insiders have wondered why PBBM has, largely, let his cousin grow even more powerful by the day – was it the desire to keep to the Marcos family the political power and prestige they lost in 1986, or the desire to keep things quiet and present an image of a solid, united front against the Dutertes?
By the way, it’s telling that Romualdez is spending billions on media and PR (not minding PR means performance and reporting), when this administration is much wanting on performance.
When there's no performance to report, the Romualdez media arm is there to tell lies.
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