Rowegie Abanto

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., flanked by Senate President Francis Escudero (left) and Speaker Martin Romualdez (right), delivers his 4th annual State of the Nation Address at the House of Representatives in Quezon City  on July 28, 2025. Jonathan Cellona , ABS-CBN News

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SONA 2025

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175370361900220250728-marcos-sona-congress-JC7.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" spellcheck="false" style="text-align:left">President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., flanked by Senate President Francis Escudero (left) and Speaker Martin Romualdez (right), delivers his 4th annual State of the Nation Address at the House of Representatives in Quezon City on July 28, 2025. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) vowed to double government efforts in addressing issues surrounding basic needs and public utilities.</p><p>He said his administration will do everything to make Filipino lives more comfortable as he vowed to rid the government of corruption.</p><p>Marcos opened his <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/27/big-task-ahead-for-marcos-as-he-enters-crucial-second-half-of-term-2309">crucial SONA</a> on Monday with his pitch to Filipinos to set aside differences, noting that the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTRYu9bvxk8">result of the 2025 midterm elections</a> reflected people&#x27;s dismay with government services.</p><p>The President&#x27;s address — delivered mainly in Filipino and lasting a little over an hour — encompassed ways to address the public&#x27;s urgent national and personal concerns, such as affordable food, job creation, education, and health services, as well as tackling problems in access to electricity and <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/28/marcos-promises-to-seek-accountability-for-poor-water-supply-1709">water</a>.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/7/28/p20-rice-is-possible-to-be-further-expanded-with-p113-billion-budget-1640"><strong>Marcos: P20 rice program to be expanded nationwide</strong></a></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2025/7/28/-areglado-na-marcos-touts-zero-billing-for-basic-accommodation-in-doh-hospitals-1753"><strong>&#x27;Areglado na&#x27;: Marcos touts &#x27;zero billing&#x27; for basic accommodation in DOH hospitals</strong></a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>LAST CHANCE FOR A LEGACY</strong></div><p>Julio Teehankee, political science professor at De La Salle University, explained that Marcos had to set the tone for the remaining three years of his presidency.</p><p>&quot;In short, this should be a prelude or a preview to his legacy,&quot; Teehankee told ABS-CBN News&#x27; Ron Cruz, touting Marcos&#x27; focus on national development, which he said the president had not captured in his previous SONAs.</p><p>Matthew David Ordoñez, a political science lecturer at De La Salle University, earlier said that the remaining years of Marcos would &quot;make or break&quot; his administration&#x27;s legacy.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/27/big-task-ahead-for-marcos-as-he-enters-crucial-second-half-of-term-2309">SONA 2025: Big task ahead for Marcos Jr. as he enters crucial second half of presidency</a></div><p>He noted that the President would need to &quot;articulate his plans to move beyond survival mode and produce more significant results in his governance and [improve] the lives of the Filipino people.&quot;</p><p>Teehankee said that the midterm polls — where fewer than expected administration bets won seats — were a &quot;rebuke&quot; of Marcos&#x27; presidency.</p><p>His address, the professor added, was meant to draw a line between those who would be on his side and those he would &quot;consider as targets&quot; for his anti-corruption campaign.</p><p>&quot;There was a need for him to reconfigure his political narrative and, at the same time, reset his presidential coalition,&quot; he said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>MARCOS TO CRACK DOWN ON CORRUPTION</strong></div><p>In one of the strongest points of his Monday&#x27;s SONA, Marcos called out those who were complicit in supposedly corrupting public funds at the detriment of the public, who had to endure severe floods in recent days.</p><p>The inundation, triggered by storms and the southwest monsoon or habagat, has again put anti-flood projects into the national conversation, with many questioning the government&#x27;s flood control efforts. </p><p>In his 2024 SONA, Marcos said that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbmRfP75Vvc">more than 5,500 flood control projects</a> had been completed and more were underway.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/28/-mahiya-naman-kayo-marcos-order-probe-on-corruption-in-flood-control-projects-1725"><strong>&#x27;Mahiya naman kayo&#x27;: Marcos orders probe on possible corruption in flood control projects</strong></a></div><p>&quot;Kitang-kita ko na maraming proyekto para sa flood control ay palpak at gumuho. &#x27;Yung iba ay guni-guni lang,&quot; Marcos said as he acknowledged corruption in the projects.</p><p>(I saw that many flood control projects were flawed and had crumbled. Others were just imaginary) </p><p>&quot;Kaya sa mga nakikipagsabwatan para kuhanin ang pondo ng bayan at nakawin ang kinabukasan ng ating mga mamamayan: Mahiya naman kayo sa inyong kapwa Pilipino. Mahiya naman kayo sa mga kababayan nating naanod o nalubog sa baha. Mahiya naman kayo lalo sa mga anak nating magmamana sa mga utang na ginawa n&#x27;yo,&quot; he added to cheers and a standing ovation from legislators.</p><p>(So to those who conspire to take the people&#x27;s money and steal our people&#x27;s future: You should be ashamed. You should feel shame before our fellow Filipinos whose homes were flooded. You should feel shame before our children who will inherit the debts you incurred)  </p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;BIG POLITICAL RISK&#x27;</strong></div><p>Apa Ongpin, executive director of the Makati Business Club, said Marcos&#x27; launch of an anti-corruption campaign was a &quot;big political risk&quot; because &quot;he&#x27;s coming from the Marcos legacy and his father was accused of widespread corruption and plunder during his time.&quot;</p><p>He added bringing up corruption was risky &quot;because a lot of the perpetrators are there in the audience.&quot;</p><p>Teehankee meanwhile described Marcos&#x27; move as &quot;politics of redemption,&quot; noting that the President declared at the start of his term that he should be judged &quot;not based on my ancestors but [based on] what I’m going to do.&quot;</p><p>He added that the chief executive seemed to be willing to go &quot;all in&quot; with his political capital even though it was &quot;very risky.&quot;</p><p>&quot;You just encountered a political setback in the midterm and the rejection of the impeachment and you will need as many political allies among the traditional politicos and yet you&#x27;re going against their interests. So, this is very interesting,&quot; the professor said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>MARCOS SKIPS IMPEACHMENT CASE</strong></div><p>Marcos made no mention of the impeachment case of Vice President Sara Duterte, who, together with <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/28/imee-marcos-to-skip-sona-1207">several of her allies — including presidential sister Sen. Imee Marcos</a> — sat out Marcos&#x27; fourth SONA, a move signalling her continued rift with the president.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/28/paolo-duterte-3-davaoe-o-lawmakers-form-house-independent-bloc-1153"><strong>Paolo Duterte snubs Speakership election, forms House ‘independent bloc’ with 3 Davaoeño lawmakers</strong></a></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/7/28/hontiveros-aquino-pangilinan-urge-sc-to-reconsider-decision-blocking-vp-duterte-s-impeachment-1541"><strong>Hontiveros, Aquino, Pangilinan urge SC to reconsider decision blocking VP Duterte&#x27;s impeachment trial</strong></a></div><p>Ordoñez, one of the analysts, had earlier argued that Marcos &quot;would have less to lose politically if the impeachment trial in the Senate were to proceed.&quot;</p><p>Ahead of Marcos&#x27; SONA, questions linger about whether or not Congress could shrug off the Supreme Court&#x27;s ruling striking down as unconstitutional the impeachment complaint against the vice president.</p><p>The high court said that the articles of impeachment violated the rule that bans the filing of the same case within a year and held that a fresh complaint against the vice president could only be filed in February next year.</p><p>Still, Marcos may &quot;deal with the impeachment quietly and let the process run its course,&quot; Ordoñez said.</p><p>&quot;If VP Duterte is decisively impeached, then his legacy would be secured,&quot; he said, referring to her possible conviction.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>WATCH</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zsZ1T0hsLvA?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in his fourth SONA vowed to double his government's efforts in addressing issues surrounding basic needs and public utilities, saying his administration would do everything to make Filipino lives more comfortable as he vowed to rid the government of corruption.</p>

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in his fourth SONA vowed to double his government's efforts in addressing issues surrounding basic needs and public utilities, saying his administration would do everything to make Filipino lives more comfortable as he vowed to rid the government of corruption.

SONA 2025: Marcos puts Filipinos' key issues on center stage as he vows to rid government of corruption

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SONA 2025: Marcos puts Filipinos' key issues on center stage as he vows to rid government of corruption

Rowegie Abanto,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 28, 2025 08:28 PM PHT

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Updated August 05, 2025 04:11 PM PHT

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