In his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. admitted that many Filipinos are frustrated with poor government services and vowed to focus the rest of his term to fixing them.
“Bigo at dismayado ang mga tao sa pamahalaan, lalo na sa mga pangunahing serbisyo,” the President said in his speech.
“Kaya sa huling tatlong taon ng administrasyon, ibubuhos pa natin ang lahat-lahat,” he added.
Marcos described the next three years as the “all-in” phase of his presidency, admitting that while economic indicators have improved, many Filipinos remain burdened in daily life.
“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 ito ay palamuti lamang, walang saysay kung ang ating kababayan naman ay hirap pa rin at nabibigatan sa kanilang buhay,” he said.
Jobs, not cash aid, as the core anti-poverty strategy
He said the government is now centering on employment and enterprise support as the most effective way to lift people out of poverty.
He promised that more jobs would be created via investments in manufacturing, agriculture, construction, and small businesses.
Marcos also said the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) would work together to assist the rest of the 4% of the labor fore who remain jobless.
“Maayos na hanap buhay talaga ang mabisang pantiyak laban sa kahirapan at laban sa gutom,” Marcos asserted.
More support, the President said, will be given to microentrepreneurs, including capital without collateral, free training, and equipment. The goal is to help 2.5 million poor families to have their own small livelihood activities.
₱20 rice rollout and a warning to price manipulators
Returning to one of his most repeated campaign promises, Marcos said the government has already proven that it can sell rice at ₱20 per kilo without causing problems to farmers.
“Napatunayan na natin na kaya na natin ang ₱20 sa bawat kilo ng bigas nang hindi malulugi ang ating mga magsasaka,” he said, noting that pilot areas include Pangasinan, Cavite, Occidental Mindoro, and Cebu.
Marcos said they will expand the program with the help of ₱113 billion in funding for agriculture and more Kadiwa stores.
He also issued a direct warning to traders who rig prices or cheat farmers.
“Hahabulin namin kayo dahil ang trato namin sa inyong ginagawa ay tinuturing namin na economic sabotage.” Marcos said.
Electricity, healtcare, education among top promises
President Marcos devoted long sections of his speech to basic services, particularly access to electricity, free healthcare, and school infrastructure.
Since 2022, 2.5 million houses have been connected to electricity, and by 2028, 4 million more will be able to take advantage of new power plants and solar systems.
He cited the recent power crisis in Siquijor, where widespread brownouts forced the province to declare a state of calamity.
He said the outages disrupted tourism, business operations, hospitals, and basic services. Based on their investigation, the President said they found expired permits, broken generators, slow response, and poor procurement systems.
Marcos ordered the Department of Energy (DOE), the National Electrification Administration (NEA), and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to restore stable electricity in the province before the year ends and to establish long-term solutions so that the problem does not happen again.
Part of this is also to conduct an assessment of all power suppliers and providers in other provinces, like Palawan.
“Sa susunod na tatlong taon, halos 200 na planta ang ating tatapusin. Ito ay may kakayang magpa-ilaw sa 4 na milyong kabahayan, o sa mahigit na 2,000 pabrika, sa halong 7,000 tanggapan at negosyo,” Marcos said.
“Hahabulin at tutuparin ng DOE at NEA ang nakatakdang dami ng mga kabahayan na makakabitan ng kuryente ngayong taon hanggang 2028, lalo na sa Quezon, sa Palawan, sa Masbate, sa Samar, sa Negros Occidental, sa Zamboanga del Sur,” he said.
On health, he said that PhilHealth coverage has been expanded, adding that dialysis is now free and that procedures for cancer, heart disease, and cataracts are all covered.
“Zero balance billing” would be implemented at Department of Health (DOH) institutions, he added.
“Wala nang babayaran ang pasyente basta sa DOH hospital dahil bayad na po ang bill ninyo,” Marcos said.
Later on, a post from the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) listed two hospitals in Palawan that would provide this service. These institutions are the Culion Sanitarium and General Hospital and the Ospital ng Palawan.
Online, some users welcomed the move. However, others pointed out that patients are still asked to buy medical supplies themselves outside the hospital, raising questions about how the policy is going to be carried out in practice.
“Ok naman yan, kaya lang yung mga gagamitin para sa pasyente, bibilhin mo sa labas, o mga botika kung saan may connection ang mga ospital para hindi halata,” a commenter said.
“Kahit libre kong serbisyo naman kong papatayin lang nila yung pasyente lalo’t mga staff nurses at doctor paswertehan kong may mag-care sa pasyente. Mga staff at nurses at doctors mapipili mo hindi naman lahat iilan lang mga may puso at may malasakit sa pasyente nila,” another said.
As far as education is concerned, he pledged to create 40,000 more classrooms, increase the number of counselors, provide instructors with free computers and internet access, and expand access to TESDA and state college scholarships.
“Ngayon, nagdaratingan na ang mga laptop na laan para sa bawat guru sa public school. Tiniyak natin na walang anomalya sa pagbili ng mga laptop na ito,” President Marcos stressed.
A promise to punish corruption and ghost projects
Before his SONA ended, the President addressed recent failures in flood control projects and vowed that contractors and officials involved in overpriced or unfinished infrastructure would be held accountable.
“Kitang-kita ko na maraming proyekto para sa flood control ay palpak at gumuho. At ‘yung iba, guni-guni lang,” he said.
“Kaya sa mga nakikipagsabwatan upang kunin ang pondo ng bayan at nakawin ang kinabukasan ng ating mga mamamayan—mahiya naman kayo sa inyong kapwa Pilipino,” he added.
The President directed the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to submit a list of all flood control projects started or completed in the past three years.
He said the list would be made public to allow citizens to scrutinize the projects and help in the investigation.
“Kailangan may managot sa naging matinding pinsala at katiwalian,” he said.
He added that he would reject any proposed 2026 national budget that does not align with the administration’s priorities.
“I am willing to do this even if we end up with a re-enacted budget.”
A speech aimed at rebuilding public trust
The speech, which ran over 90 minutes, ended with a call to unity and a reminder that the government’s job is to serve.
“Huwag tayong matakot. Huwag tayong titiklo. Huwag tayong mawawalan ng pag-asa. Dahil ang Pilipino ay likas na matapang, magaling, masipag, matibay at mabuti,” he concluded.
Marcos set the remaining half of his administration as a test of delivery, telling agencies to repair long-standing problems with services that still make life hard for regular Filipinos. He had three years left in his tenure.
