Corruption, food prices top Sona issues in polls
President Marcos delivers his fifth State of the Nation Address (Sona) today, amid mounting calls to follow through on his promise to purge government corruption and tackle the country’s other pressing issues—rising prices, jobs, poverty—as raised in a survey ahead of his penultimate address.
Today’s Sona will set the Marcos administration’s roadmap in the last two years of his term, with lawmakers urging him to go beyond promises and rhetoric and deliver concrete institutional reforms.
The latest survey by Pulse Asia released over the weekend echoed these sentiments. While bringing down the cost of food remains a foremost concern, public attention has also increasingly shifted toward strengthening the fight against corruption as well as creating more jobs.
Conducted from June 28 to July 3 and released on Saturday, the Stratbase Group-commissioned survey found that three in 10 Filipinos (30 percent) identified making food more affordable—particularly staples such as rice, meat and fish—as the government’s top priority.
The proportion of respondents who said the government should lessen or eliminate corruption to provide better services increased to 28 percent from 26 percent in March, while those who prioritized creating more jobs and livelihood opportunities rose to 28 percent from 24 percent.
The findings mirror the results of a separate Pulse Asia survey released on Friday, which found that Filipinos want the President to focus on combating corruption in his Sona (29.8 percent) by holding accountable those involved in the flood control projects controversy. This was followed closely by ensuring affordable basic goods (18.7 percent).
Stratbase Group president Victor Andres “Dindo” Manhit said the two Pulse Asia surveys reflected an evolving set of public expectations as the administration entered its final two years in office.
“The message from Filipinos is remarkably consistent. They want the government to sustain efforts to keep food affordable, but they are also demanding stronger action against corruption and more opportunities for decent jobs,” Manhit said. “These are no longer separate concerns but interconnected expectations of effective governance.”
Manhit said the survey results show that the next political test for the remaining two years of the Marcos administration will be to keep inflation under control, and at the same time “convincing Filipinos that it can translate economic stability into better jobs, cleaner governance, and more responsive public services.”
“Filipinos want an economy that creates opportunities and a government that is transparent, accountable, and capable of delivering results. Meeting these expectations will be critical in sustaining public trust,” he added.
Anticorruption reforms
At the House of Representatives, Akbayan Rep. Chel Diokno said Mr. Marcos should “go beyond promises and empty rhetoric” and present tangible solutions.
“We also want to hear him present concrete, actionable solutions to the skyrocketing cost of living, persistent inflation, rising fuel and electricity prices, and the continuing lack of quality employment opportunities, while providing meaningful and lasting relief to the Filipino people,” Diokno said in a statement on Sunday.
The President, who in last year’s address exposed a multibillion graft scandal tied to flood control projects, should also ensure those responsible for misusing public funds are held accountable and “put behind bars,” he added.
“If the President is indeed serious about eradicating corruption and strengthening accountability, he must ensure that all those responsible for the abuse of public funds are held accountable and put behind bars, whether they are allies or not,” he said.
Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said he was looking forward to hearing Mr. Marcos’ announcement of reforms that will prevent a repeat of the flood control controversy.
“Many have been detained, many have been charged, but it is important that this flood control mess does not happen again. We want to hear the reforms that were made to prevent this from happening again,” Gatchalian told reporters on Friday.
Sen. JV Ejercito said the government must address corruption as the flood control scandal has eroded public trust in government infrastructure spending.
“The people were already having trust issues with the infrastructure that should be driving our economic growth … What should be done is to hold accountable and put behind bars all those who squandered and pocketed the funds allocated for flood control,” Ejercito said.
Behind bars
In an interview on dzMM on Sunday, Palace press officer Claire Castro said some big personalities tied to the flood control mess were already behind bars, while others are awaiting their warrants of arrest.
She added that the court has also ordered the freezing of bank accounts and assets linked to flood control anomalies.
On Friday, a panel of investigators from the Office of the Ombudsman filed a supplemental complaint for preliminary investigation against former Speaker and President Marcos’ cousin Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, as well as former Rep. Zaldy Co, and others for plunder, direct and indirect bribery, graft, and money laundering.
However, Co, who remains in hiding in Europe, had his separate graft case in the Sandiganbayan archived after law enforcement failed to arrest him within six months.
Among the high-profile personalities detained for these investigations are Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, former Sen. Bong Revilla, contractors Curlee and Sarah Discaya, and several officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Explain China ‘reset’
The Ombudsman has dropped charges against former DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan, who has been accepted last month as a state witness.
“What proof do they need that the government is working on these cases? Imagine, in less than a year, the government has made these developments,” Castro said.
Akbayan Rep. Dadah Kiram Ismula, meanwhile, said Mr. Marcos should also clarify what he meant by calling for a reset in the country’s strained ties with China.
She added that the President must seek “restitution” from Beijing for alleged ecosystem damage in contested waters and account for its “aggressive” acts against Philippine Navy (PN) servicemen.
“Before we talk about any reset, there must first be respect,” Ismula said in a separate statement in Filipino. “Before any reset, there must first be restitution.”
Last week, tensions flared anew in the West Philippine Sea after two PN personnel sustained injuries during a violent confrontation with the China Coast Guard near Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal.
Many expect the President to provide details on his intent to “reset” ties between Manila and Beijing, after he summoned Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Jing Quan to Malacañang last week.
“The President continues to maintain that the Philippines will not give up any of its rights in the West Philippine Sea. The country will stand firm only on what rightfully belongs to it, and it will do so through diplomatic means,” Castro said.
Inflation, wages
The President also condemns the acts of harassment taking place in the West Philippine Sea that are being experienced by our fellow Filipinos,” she added.
In his address, the President is expected to tout the country’s new status as an upper-middle income economy under the World Bank’s classification.
Several groups, however, said this has yet to translate into better lives for Filipinos.
The country is reeling from increasing costs of basic goods and services due to inflation driven by the volatile situation in the Middle East.
In response, the government announced a P12.375-billion cash aid to be provided to 7.5 million poor and near-poor households affected by rising oil prices.
Workers are also looking forward to any announcement of wage increase. The first tranche of the P85 wage hike for workers in Metro Manila was implemented on Saturday, despite calls from employers’ groups to suspend it.
The President earlier said some regions may have to wait until the fourth quarter this year before their respective wage boards decide on proposed wage increases.
No red carpet
Malacañang said Mr. Marcos wanted a more austere Sona to cut government expenses since it requires additional funding for its Middle East crisis response.
There will be no red carpet, which has traditionally been a highlight for guests.
Vice President Sara Duterte will not attend as she is abroad and will not return until July 31. The last time Duterte attended Mr. Marcos’ Sona was in 2023, a year before she resigned as eduation secretary.
The President’s popularity has tumbled, with his trust rating dropping to 34 percent in a Social Weather Stations survey released last week, the lowest since July 2024.
Mr. Marcos, swept to power in 2022 through ties with Duterte, now faces a deepening rift with her. Duterte’s trust rating held at 57 percent despite an impeachment trial over allegations of corruption and her online death threats against the President, first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and former Speaker Romualdez.
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