Marcos Jr 4th SONA falls short of bare minimum, critics say

By PAJO ALBANO
Bulatlat.com

MANILA – “Honestly, I have no expectations from Marcos,” said Gail Orduna, global coordinator of the People’s Coalition for Food Sovereignty. 

This disillusion set the tone for the SONA ng Paniningil held on July 28 along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City where hundreds gathered to hold Marcos Jr. accountable on his fourth State of the Nation Address.

Organized by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) and allied people’s organizations, the protest focused on the issues they say the Marcos administration has failed to address: widespread flooding, landlessness, inflation, corruption, and deepening foreign control.

“People are reeling from disaster while Marcos  props up foreign interests,” said Alwen Santos, BAYAN-NCR regional director.

 “We’ve seen the same problems for years—and we’ll keep seeing them unless people push back,” Santos said.

Placards condemned what they called “imperialist and fascist rule,” citing military exercises and trade deals perceived to favor foreign powers over local industries.

Farmer and fisherfolk leaders also joined the protest, pointing to unfulfilled agrarian reform and weak state support for agriculture.

According to Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), only 14 percent of targeted beneficiaries have received Certificates of Condonation with Release of Mortgage (COCROM) under the government’s land reform program and these do not grant land ownership.

Orduna also criticized the administration’s “complicity in war and hunger.” She urged the repeal of laws enabling militarization and austerity, calling instead for a people-centered agricultural and welfare system.

Despite the heavy deployment of over 23,000 police officers, confirmed by PNP Chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III, the demonstration ended peacefully. But groups warned that future protests will intensify if the government continues to “ignore reality and reject accountability.”

Empty Promises 

Inside Batasan, Marcos Jr. identified accomplishments in infrastructure, health care, and food subsidy. But activists said that the speech was marked more by omissions than solutions.

“There was no mention of the elephant in the room—the corruption and impunity,” said Renato Reyes Jr., president of BAYAN. 

Reyes pointed to the abandoned impeachment case of Vice President Sara Duterte who was accused of misusing confidential funds. 

The Supreme Court recently dismissed the complaint, prompting critics to question the independence of key institutions.

From 2022 to 2024, confidential and intelligence funds across agencies reached P9.29 billion. 

Yet according to annual audit reports from the Commission on Audit, most remain unaudited or vaguely liquidated.

Marcos also repeated his flagship rice promise, stating that “we have proven” P20-per-kilo rice is achievable.

But data from the think tank group IBON Foundation showed that the BBM Na program reached only 997,761 households, less than half of the targeted 2 million by December 2024. 

Meanwhile,PSA reports placed the average price of well-milled rice above P52 per kilo—more than double his target.

Environmental groups also criticized Marcos’ climate language, especially his call for a “new mindset.” Protesters said that his administration greenlit destructive activities such as reclamation, dredging, and mining. 

However, DENR data showed at least 21 major reclamation projects in Metro Manila underway or approved as of mid-2025.

“He talks about climate but stays silent about the real causes—big business and state neglect,” Santos said.

The speech mentioned flood control projects and promised a review. However, no names were named, and no cases were filed. 

Protesters earlier pointed to ongoing flooding across Central Luzon and Metro Manila as evidence of the state’s failure to prepare for climate disasters.

Also absent from the SONA was any mention of the blocked P100 legislated wage hike, or of the growing number of labor strikes and lockouts across the country. 

Instead, Marcos emphasized peace and order despite maintaining the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and backing US military expansion under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

For protesters, not only did Marcos underdeliver, he also refused to confront the issues at the core of people’s suffering. “This SONA made it obvious. The people can’t rely on the Marcos regime for change,” Reyes said. “We will build that change ourselves.” (RVO, DAA)

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