The State of the Nation Address has always been a ritual of promises. Every July, the President stands before Congress to recite a litany of programs, reforms, and visions. But this year, the weight of those promises feels heavier, almost crushing, against the backdrop of a nation distracted by impeachment proceedings and a leader whose approval and trust ratings, according to the latest surveys, continues to slip. It is also Marcos’s second-to-the-last SONA, a reminder that time is running short for this administration to turn words into legacy.
The Senate’s focus is divided—performing as senator-judges in the impeachment trial while also expected to carry out their legislative duties. This dual role has turned the chamber into a stage of accountability and governance at once, raising concern about whether the President’s agenda can gain traction amid such competing demands.
Promises, after all, are not neutral. They carry the burden of expectation. When the President speaks of food security, disaster resilience, or education reform, Filipinos hear not just policy but the echo of unmet needs. How many times have we heard these pledges before, recycled in SONAs past, only to fade in the noise of political crisis? Nakakalungkot lang. This is our reality. Ilang pangako na ba ng mga naging pangulo ang nauwi sa hangin?
Under the 20th Congress, the current Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) list is ambitious: measures on healthcare, infrastructure, and governance reforms. But ambition may not necessarily mean delivery. The 19th Congress passed a record 40 LEDAC bills, yet the public pulse remains skeptical. What good are numbers if the lived reality is inflation, job uncertainty, and fragile institutions? The ledger of promises must be balanced against the ledger of results.
History reminds us of Cory Aquino’s first SONA in July 1987, delivered months after the ratification of the new Constitution. She spoke of rebuilding democracy after dictatorship, and her words carried urgency because they were tethered to action—restoring democratic institutions and strengthening the framework of the newly ratified Charter. Today’s promises risk floating untethered, weighed down by political spectacle rather than lifted by reform.
That contrast is sharper now. The urgency of Aquino’s moment was anchored in rebuilding trust; the urgency of Marcos’s moment is defined by recovering it. Each promise made in the SONA is now filtered through public doubt. Will this administration deliver, or will it be remembered for speeches that rang hollow?
And as usual—in times of perceived political crisis—the savior mentality looms large. SONAs often elevate the President as the nation’s sole problem-solver, but you and I know that governance is collective. Ironically, it was Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo—PBBM’s opponent in the last election—who recently raised this very critique of the savior mentality, reminding the public that leadership must be shared, not singular.
In the end, the SONA is both performance and pledge. But this year, the performance is overshadowed, and the pledge is questioned. The weight of promises is not in their poetry but in their fulfillment. Filipinos have heard enough speeches. What they demand now is proof.
As the President speaks on July 27, the applause in the gallery may be loud, but outside, the question lingers: with the remaining two years of this administration, will these promises finally be kept, or will they join the long archive of words unfulfilled?#
