Things Marcos left out of his penultimate State of the Nation Address

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. spent much of his fifth State of the Nation Address showing how his administration has responded to crises, from flood control corruption and soaring power bills to food and fuel shocks.

What he offered were processes: investigations, audits, portals, cash aid, tax relief and calls for Congress to amend laws.

What was less clear was how these measures would resolve the structural problems behind them.

Marcos spoke for one hour and 26 minutes on Monday, July 27, using his penultimate SONA to report on his administration's progress in the past four years and set up the reforms he wants pursued in the last two years of his term.

Here are some of the concerns Marcos left out, or addressed only partly, in his 2026 SONA:

Anti-corruption and political reform

The president's strongest anti-corruption remarks marked the start of his speech, when he spoke about the looming filing of cases against a former speaker over flood control projects.

It was one of the most politically charged moments of the SONA. It also allowed Marcos to draw a line between his presidency and his family ties, saying he was president of the Philippines, not of his relatives or friends.

Broader reform. But the speech also showed the limits of his accountability message. Marcos talked about audits, the Transparency Portal, the Integrity Chain and civil society monitoring of Department of Public Works and Highways projects. 

Besides these, he did not mention broader accountability measures for public officials beyond the flood control scandal. The speech focused more on what had already been uncovered or recovered than on what would structurally change.

He did not announce new legislation or a broader reform package to prevent similar corruption schemes across government.

Anti-political dynasty measure. Marcos similarly ommitted any mention of the anti-political dynasty bill, even though he had certified it as one of his administration's priority measures.

The measure, co-authored by his son, House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos, passed the House this year but has been criticized by some groups as a watered-down bill that regulates political dynasties instead of prohibiting them.

Cost of living crisis

Marcos acknowledged the pressure on Filipino households. He cited ayuda, fuel support for drivers, KADIWA centers, the "Benteng Bigas Meron Na" program, tax relief for the middle class and assistance for vulnerable sectors. He also called on Congress to amend the Electric Power Industry Reform Act, or EPIRA, to stop systems loss charges, including value-added tax on those charges, from being passed on to consumers.

These were direct responses to what Filipinos feel daily: expensive food, high electricity bills, fuel shocks and wages struggling to catch up.

While Marcos skipped a numbers-heavy speech, such as inflation figures, and acknowledged that fuel prices continue to be volatile, he did not mention a broader plan to bring the cost of living back in target.

He similarly did not mention the P85 minimum wage increase granted in Metro Manila, which took effect on July 25. Behind such measure is also larger demand: a legislated national wage hike.

Growth and competiveness

New status. The Philippines became an upper-middle-income country under Marcos, a status the administration has used in investment pitches abroad. The president chose not to list the milestone in his speech.

Instead, Marcos focused on investment pledges, Green Lane projects and jobs. He did not explain how the government intends to sustain the country's new income classification or keep it from becoming a statistical upgrade that ordinary Filipinos barely feel.

The Philippines, after all, has been lagging in Southeast Asia when it comes to foreign direct investments. The country ranked 18th among 25 emerging markets in one index.

The same was true for economic growth targets. In January, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas projected gross domestic product growth of 5% to 6%, but the economy grew by just 2.8% in the first quarter, having been affected by global crises and conflicts.

Tourism was a missed opportunity. Marcos cited airports, roads and other infrastructure projects that could support travel, but he did not directly address why the Philippines continues to trail its neighbors in attracting foreign visitors. The country recorded is targeting more than 6.4 million international arrivals this year, far below the tens of millions drawn by regional competitors such as Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam

Trade friction with, most notably, the United States was also left out. While he hailed the Pax Silica agreement with the U.S, Marcos did not address the new 12.5% tariff thr Trump government recently imposed and how it would affect Philippine exports under import rules.

The national debt, which reached P18.55 trillion as of end-May, was also not cited. Marcos mentioned debt mainly in the context of canceled obligations of agrarian reform beneficiaries and relief for individual consumers, not the government's broader fiscal position.

Strategic silences

Choosing to distance from controversy, Marcos has long avoided making largely partisan statements himself, even as senior officials of his administration take on conspicuous and hardline positions.

For one, Malacañang had said he would not refer to the ongoing impeachment trial of former ally, Vice President Sara Duterte, leaving that for Congress to deal with. This is despite public remarks Duterte made seen as threats to his and the First Lady's life as the first impeachment charge tackled by the Senate court.

Marcos' speech spoke broadly about unity and accountability, but did not address how the trial has deepened political conflict at the top of government.

Illegal drugs. The banner campaign of his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, illegal drugs were absent from Marcos' speech, even as the topic figures among top concerns of Filipinos, according to pre-SONA polls.

Marcos mentioned drug policies in his previous SONAs, but this time around, he skipped mentioning the government's anti-drug campaign, drug rehabilitation, law enforcement strategy or even how his administration intends to avoid the abuses linked to the Duterte-era drug war.

Relatedly, Marcos did not mention the International Criminal Court or the possibility of rejoining it years after Rodrigo Duterte withdrew from the Rome Statute. Granted, the issue remains politically sensitive as Duterte faces proceedings tied to his drug war.

Code of conduct. Marcos notably ended the SONA with a strong defense of the 2016 arbitral ruling and the the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, saying the Philippines would use every peaceful and legal means to uphold it. 

He also praised the Armed Forces, the Coast Guard and Filipino fisherfolk who continue to operate in waters claimed by China, although he didn't mention the Asian giant by name.

What was ommitted was the efforts to complete a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea that has long been pending, even as the Philippines stands to host the ASEAN meetings. 

The code has long been seen as a possible regional mechanism to manage tensions between China and Southeast Asian states with competing maritime claims. Marcos' SONA reaffirmed the Philippines’ legal position, but gave no update on that diplomatic track.  — with Renalyn Ramirez