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Marcos' SONA highlights from 2022 to 2025
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President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is set to deliver on Monday, July 27, 2026, his penultimate State of the Nation Address (SONA) in what may be one of the most politically divisive points of his administration.
His former running mate, Vice President Sara Duterte, has been impeached twice and is undergoing trial over allegations that include the misuse of public funds. Several of Marcos’ former allies have also been implicated in corruption allegations linked to the government’s flood control program—an issue the President himself brought to national attention.
Marcos’ upcoming SONA will mark the first time he addresses Congress since the massive flood control controversy implicated numerous officials, including his cousin, former Speaker and Leyte 1st Dist. Rep. Martin Romualdez.
While it remains to be seen whether Marcos’ fifth SONA can rally a deeply divided political establishment, the President faces pressure to make an impact as his term nears its final two years and the 2028 elections draw closer.
GMA News Online looks back at Marcos’ previous addresses, which featured everything from ambitious promises to stern warnings.
First SONA, 2022
A newly elected Marcos had plenty to prove during his first SONA after emerging victorious from one of the most divisive elections in recent history. He also faced the challenge of steering the country out of the COVID-19 pandemic, which had killed at least 66,000 people in the Philippines.
It was during his 2022 address that Marcos declared there would be no more lockdowns, citing the need to balance public health and the economy.
The President also vowed to improve the healthcare system by building more regional hospitals and clinics and improving the training of medical workers.
In the same address, Marcos announced the return of face-to-face classes and tasked then-Education Secretary and Vice President Sara Duterte with overseeing the safe return of students to classrooms.
Marcos also made major infrastructure commitments under his flagship Build Better More program. He pledged to complete the North-South Commuter Railway System, Metro Manila Subway Project, Light Rail Transit (LRT) -1 Cavite Extension, Metro Rail Transit (MRT) -7, and the common station connecting LRT-1, MRT-3 and MRT-7.
Marcos also made his diplomatic stance clear, declaring that the Philippines would not yield a single inch of its territory. The statement carried particular weight amid longstanding tensions between Manila and Beijing in the West Philippine Sea.
At the same time, he maintained that “the Philippines shall continue to be a friend to all, an enemy to none.”
The President also presented Congress with a lengthy list of priority measures, including the National Government Rightsizing Program, Budget Modernization Bill, Valuation Reform Bill, Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act, E-Government Act, Internet Transactions Act, and the establishment of a Medical Reserve Corps.
Other priorities included the creation of a National Disease Prevention Management Authority, Virology Institute of the Philippines and Department of Water Resources; reforms to government retirement and pension systems; the National Land Use Act and National Defense Act; mandatory ROTC and the National Service Training Program; an enabling law for the natural gas industry; and amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act and Build-Operate-Transfer Law.
Second SONA, 2023
A year after his first SONA, Marcos turned his attention to another major concern: inflation.
Rising prices had been driven by post-pandemic pressures and the war between Russia and Ukraine. Marcos, who was also serving as Agriculture secretary at the time, pointed to agricultural smuggling as another factor contributing to the problem.
Marcos also touted the P8.3-trillion Build Better More program, saying it was being vigorously implemented and expanded. He cited the Luzon Spine Expressway Network Program, which was envisioned to cut travel time between Ilocos and Bicol from 20 hours to nine.
The address was also Marcos’ first SONA after Congress passed the controversial Maharlika Investment Fund law. He said the fund would be invested in projects that would benefit the country.
“In pooling a small fraction of the considerable but underutilized government funds, the Fund shall be used to make high-impact and profitable investments, such as the Build-Better-More program,” Marcos said.
The 2023 SONA also laid out Marcos’ approach to the illegal drug problem, with the President promising greater emphasis on community-based treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration.
The policy marked a departure from that of his predecessor, former President Rodrigo Duterte, whose bloody war on drugs resulted in at least 6,000 deaths based on government figures.
In a similar move toward reconciliation, Marcos announced amnesty for former rebels who had given up their armed struggle.
Marcos also asked Congress to act on several measures, including tax reforms under the Medium-Term Fiscal Framework and amendments to the Fisheries Code, Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act and Cooperative Code.
Other priorities included a new Government Procurement Law and Government Auditing Code, measures against financial account scamming, the Tatak Pinoy Act, Blue Economy Act, Ease of Paying Taxes Act, LGU Income Classification Act, and a new Philippine Immigration Act.
Third SONA, 2024
The 2024 SONA was Marcos’ first address following his public falling-out with Sara Duterte, with the Vice President skipping the event and describing herself as the “designated survivor.”
Marcos, however, sought to bring the discussion back to more immediate concerns.
The President acknowledged that while the Philippine economy was performing well on paper, many Filipinos had yet to feel the benefits, particularly as prices remained high amid El Niño-induced droughts and global tensions.
The President highlighted several agricultural and agrarian interventions, including efforts to bring down the price of rice.
The address also came amid developments concerning the country’s maritime claims, with Marcos again asserting Philippine rights in the West Philippine Sea.
“Ang West Philippine Sea ay hindi kathang-isip natin lamang. Ito ay atin. At ito ay mananatiling atin,” Marcos said.
(The West Philippine Sea is not a figment of our imagination. It is ours. And it will remain ours.)
But the 2024 SONA would perhaps be best remembered for Marcos’ declaration of a ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).
POGOs had proliferated in the country during the administration of Marcos’ predecessor and had become linked to various crimes, including human trafficking.
“Effective today, all POGOs are banned,” Marcos declared.
The controversy surrounding POGOs came to a head during a Senate investigation that focused heavily on former Bamban Mayor Alice Guo and raised questions about gaps in the country’s immigration and identification systems.
Marcos did not identify priority legislation in his 2024 SONA.
Fourth SONA, 2025
The moments before Marcos delivered his fourth SONA were akin to the calm before the storm, with Romualdez and then-Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero still joining the President during the event.
It was Marcos’ first SONA following the midterm elections, in which the administration slate failed to secure a decisive victory. Only five of Marcos’ Senate candidates won seats, while Camille Villar and Imee Marcos had left his slate.
Midterm elections are often treated as a report card on an administration’s performance, and Marcos acknowledged the public’s dissatisfaction during his 2025 SONA.
“Bigo at dismayado ang mga tao sa pamahalaan, lalo na sa mga pangunahing serbisyo,” Marcos said.
(The people have been let down and are disappointed with the government, particularly with basic services.)
Marcos vowed to intensify social welfare programs to address poverty and promised to create more jobs. He also addressed the case of the missing sabungeros, pledging to hold those responsible accountable, while promising a broader crackdown on crime.
The SONA also came after several tropical cyclones battered the country and caused widespread flooding.
It was at this point that Marcos confronted what had become an increasingly contentious issue: allegations that politicians were receiving kickbacks from government projects.
“Mahiya naman kayo sa mga kabahayan nating naanod o nalubog sa mga pagbaha!” Marcos said.
(Shame on you before our countrymen whose homes were swept away or submerged by floods!)
He then ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), then headed by Manuel Bonoan, to submit a list of all flood control projects. The projects were to be reviewed to determine whether they had actually been completed, with Marcos promising to make the list public.
The President also vowed that charges would be filed against officials implicated in irregularities involving flood control projects.
In another move aimed at curbing corruption, Marcos warned that he would return any General Appropriations Bill submitted to him that was not aligned with the proposed National Expenditure Program. He said he was prepared to operate under a reenacted budget if necessary.
The repercussions of Marcos’ declarations would extend well beyond that SONA, with some officials who were present at the address later finding themselves under investigation over alleged corruption, including Romualdez. — MCG, GMA News
