By Norman P. Aquino, Special Reports Editor
PHILIPPINE President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. delivered his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, notably omitting two controversial issues facing his administration: the proposed ban on online gambling and US tariff increases that threaten growth.
While the President spoke at length about economic growth, food security, energy reforms, and social services, he was silent on laws searching for to outlaw or higher regulate e-gaming.
The omission comes despite mounting concerns over e-gambling’s mounting toll on Filipino families with members grappling with addiction, and separate pending bills within the Senate and House of Representatives that seek to either ban or regulate the industry.
Mr. Marcos is facing growing public frustration as many Filipinos say the guarantees he made during his 2022 campaign remain largely unmet three years into his term.
He ran on a platform of economic revival, vowing to lower rice prices, strengthen agriculture and spark a brand new wave of industrialization. But for some Filipinos, those pledges have yet to translate into real improvements in every day life.
Mr. Marcos also made no mention of the 19% US tariffs on Philippine goods that can take effect on Aug. 1. Critics say the tariff increases disproportionately hurt low-income consumers already grappling with inflation, a priority that continues to be unaddressed within the administration’s economic narrative.
“Based on data, our economy is looking good,” the President said in his speech in Filipino that lasted an hour and 10 minutes, citing lower inflation and better investor confidence.
But he acknowledged that these gains are meaningless “if our fellowmen struggle and are burdened.”
“The President’s SONA stumbled from the very start with the false premise of the economy doing well,” Jose Enrique A. Africa, executive director of IBON Foundation, said in a Viber message.
“That is in denial of slowing growth, high prices today after high inflation in his first three years, deficits and debt far above targets upon taking office, and jobs figures hiding worsening pay and quality of labor,” he added.
The omission of legislative priorities is troubling and signals disinterest in growing poverty, hunger and joblessness, he added.
Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman George T. Barcelon said failure to act decisively on online gambling could lead on to broader public safety concerns. “The federal government just must be vigilant because normally in relation to gambling, you attract the fallacious type of lawlessness,” he said by telephone.
“The SONA was a direct response to the midterms,” Ederson DT. Tapia, a political science professor on the University of Makati, said in a Facebook Messenger chat. “Many of the issues covered were people who mattered to the least, lost and last. He avoided topics that may be divisive too.”
The President reiterated his commitment to job creation, small business support and agriculture. He said the administration had proven that rice could possibly be sold at P20 per kilo without hurting farmers, citing limited rollouts in select areas.
He vowed to expand this system nationwide through more so-called Kadiwa stores.
Despite the upbeat tone, some analysts found the speech lacking in urgency. There was no reference to more aggressive measures to guard consumers from price shocks because of tariffs.
“We commend the President for pushing his campaign promise of P20 per kilo of rice,” Jayson H. Cainglet, executive director of the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura, said in a Viber message.
‘NOT JUST LIP SERVICE’
He blamed the “self-inflicted disaster that’s Executive Order No. 62,” which lowered rice import tariffs to fifteen%, because the principal wrongdoer for the unprecedented drop in rough rice farmgate prices, noting that the landed cost of rice imports is now only P23 to P25 per kilo.
Mr. Cainglet said the federal government should raise the rough rice procurement budget to P50 billion and quickly grant money incentives to rice farmers using the P4-billion excess funds under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund from last 12 months.
Philippine Exporters Confederation, Inc. President Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis, Jr. said he was “pleased” that Mr. Marcos mentioned initiatives to assist small and medium enterprises including increased funding. “I hope that this is just not just lip service,” he told BusinessWorld by telephone.
But he hoped that the President would say something about exports. “Unfortunately, I believe it wasn’t there. I’m undecided also if he mentioned anything concerning the tariffs.”
Mr. Marcos also touted gains in renewable energy, education, digitalization and healthcare. He announced efforts to expand electrification, free dialysis treatment and digital learning tools for public school teachers and students.
“Compared with last 12 months, his speech didn’t have that ‘wow’ moment when he would surprise or put the gang in awe,” Arjan P. Aguirre, assistant professor of political science on the Ateneo de Manila University, said via Messenger chat. “No strong takes on the pressing problems with the day.”
“The closest that we are able to highlight here is the mention of the flood control project, which still didn’t sound convincing since all the pieces would still rely on him — no mention of institutionalizing changes like mechanisms and safeguards in the method itself,” he added.
In his speech, the President ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to research flood control projects that failed during recent storms, calling out widespread corruption in infrastructure spending and warning of criminal charges for those found guilty.
He cited his recent inspections after the onslaught of the southwest monsoon and tropical cyclones Crising, Dante, and Emong, which exposed the collapse and dysfunction of flood mitigation systems across the country.
“I saw firsthand that many flood control projects were poorly built, collapsed, or worse — never even existed,” the President said in Filipino. “Let’s stop pretending. The general public knows there was racketeering in these projects.”
Mr. Marcos accused unnamed officials and contractors of pocketing public funds through “kickbacks, initiatives, errata, SOPs (standard operating procedures), for the boys,” and called out their lack of shame.
“You ought to be ashamed of yourselves in front of your fellow Filipinos… especially for what you’ve done to the families whose homes were swept away or submerged in floodwaters,” he said. “You ought to be much more ashamed for burdening our kids with debt from money you just stole.”
To handle the difficulty, he said the DPWH must immediately submit an inventory of all flood control projects launched or accomplished previously three years across all regions.
Second, regional project monitoring committees will review the list to discover incomplete, substandard or ghost projects.
“We’ll publish this list,” Mr. Marcos said. “The general public, as witnesses to those projects, will probably be free to review them and share what they know to assist with the investigation.”
He added that an audit and performance review would accompany the probe to trace how public funds were used. “In the approaching months, everyone found guilty on this investigation — together with their contractor accomplices — will face charges.”
“The people should know the total truth. There have to be accountability for the damage and corruption,” he said.
In an additional warning to lawmakers, Mr. Marcos declared he wouldn’t approve any 2026 national budget that deviates from his government’s national expenditure program.
“I’ll return any proposed general appropriations bill that is just not fully aligned with the national expenditure program,” he said. “I’m willing to do that even when we find yourself with a reenacted budget.”
“I won’t approve any budget that is just not aligned with the federal government’s plans for the Filipino people,” he added.
Leonardo A. Lanzona, an economics professor on the Ateneo de Manila University, said a reenacted budget “would never occur” given all the guarantees Mr. Marcos made.
“It is a contradiction,” he said in a Messenger chat. “With none accomplishments, the President has promised to bribe us with candies to get our approval and distract us from the issues, including the high tariffs we face.”
The President’s remarks marked one among the strongest condemnations of presidency corruption in his term up to now, signaling a tougher stance ahead of the 2026 budget season.
However the absence of any statement on pressing regulatory issues raised questions on the administration’s priorities. With three years left in his term, analysts and lawmakers alike are watching to see whether the President will confront these concerns head-on — or proceed to sidestep them.
Mr. Barcelon said the President deserves credit for addressing inefficiencies in public works spending, and welcomed his remarks on healthcare, education, and support for farmers, calling them “all good.”
But the federal government’s “very high” debt is concerning, he said by telephone. “And that’s something that may only be resolved if our economy can be fast-tracked from 5-6%, probably to 7-8%.”
He warned that without faster growth, the country’s rising debt burden, which stood at P16.92 trillion as of May, could derail the President’s social pledges.
“This issue of incurring such an enormous debt would proceed. And that may make all his guarantees to the people on free education, free health — all the pieces is sort of free — very difficult.”
Mr. Barcelon also expressed surprise that Mr. Marcos made no mention of the country’s trade policy with the US, calling it a missed opportunity to make clear the direction of one among the Philippines’ most vital economic partnerships.
He described the general tone of the speech as “a pep talk for the people to listen to,” and reiterated that the private sector stays committed to supporting the federal government. — with Chloe Mari A. Hufana, Justine Irish D. Tabile, Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio and Adrian H. Halili