‘Filipinos are not naive. They can tolerate a day of grandiosity if it is consistently followed by a year-long showcase of good governance and dedicated public service.’
AS President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. delivers his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) today, the nation braces itself for a familiar blend of pronouncements and political pageantry.
This year’s SONA unfolds against a backdrop of escalating hardship and a proposed “toned-down” gathering.
Just last week, devastating storms ripped through the country, leaving a trail of destruction that includes over P1.12 billion in damage to agriculture and at least 30 lives lost.
Rice fields and high-value crops lie ruined, and the fisheries sector, a lifeline for countless communities, has also suffered losses impacting thousands of fisherfolk.
The perennial problem of flooding, despite billions poured into flood-mitigation projects, continues to rear its ugly head, a sad reminder of unfulfilled promises and misdirected resources.
Economically, our budget deficit has ballooned to P765.5 billion in the first six months of 2025, far exceeding our ceiling and signaling that we are spending far more than we collect.
This fiscal imbalance has not gone unnoticed by global financial watchdogs that have scaled down their growth projections for the Philippines to a modest 5.6% of GDP from a previous 6%.
The human cost of these economic realities is even more sobering. A recent survey reveals that a staggering 55% of Filipino families still consider themselves poor.
Despite the much-lauded universal health coverage, Filipinos continue to bear a heavy burden of healthcare costs, with out-of-pocket payments reaching P615.16 billion in 2024.
While there are small pockets of hope — softening inflation rates and a slight dip in unemployment — these bright spots often feel overshadowed by the daily struggles of Filipinos.
Even our national penchant for gambling, evidenced by the P215 billion in gross gaming receipts of PAGCOR in the first half of the year, hints at a populace desperately seeking escape from their daily grind or a chance at jackpot that delivers quick prosperity.
In a peculiar turn of events, this year’s SONA is heralded as a more subdued affair, a supposed show of solidarity with a suffering populace.
For the first time since the divisive Sara impeachment case, both houses of Congress have reportedly agreed to tone down the usual “wattage” — less fanfare, less glamor.
Lawmakers, including Sen. Loren Legarda, have chimed in, emphasizing the need to “solve the problems” and “not to be out of touch with the real state of the nation.”
Rep. Martin Romualdez, speaker of the 19th Congress, has reportedly ordered a complete forego of the red-carpet fanfare and fashion show-like coverage.
On the surface, this might seem like a commendable gesture — a day of humility from our elected officials, a moment of acknowledgment of the hardships faced by ordinary Filipinos.
But let’s not be fooled. This performative simplicity is nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt at good optics, a convenient distraction from a more profound and unsettling truth.
While lawmakers may forgo their usual sartorial extravagance for a single day, this brief display of austerity does little to erase a year-long spectacle of lavish lifestyles. These are the same individuals who, for the most part, live in opulent comfort, far removed from the daily struggles of their constituents.
Their pronouncements of solidarity ring hollow when juxtaposed with their opulent homes, luxury vehicles, and extravagant travels, all funded, directly or indirectly, by the very taxpayers they claim to serve.
The rare exceptions, like the party-list congressmen from progressive groups who genuinely advocate for simpler living, only sharpen the contrast.
Filipinos are not naive. They can tolerate a day of grandiosity if it is consistently followed by a year-long showcase of good governance and dedicated public service.
