Progressive Groups Criticize Marcos Policies at People's SONA, Demand Better Living Conditions

Thousands of protesters from labor, teachers, youth, and urban poor sectoral groups marched along Commonwealth Avenue on Monday for the People’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), presenting what they described as the “true state of the nation” hours before President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. delivered his fourth State of the Nation Address. Speakers at the rally accused the administration of failing to address rising living costs, inadequate social services, and alleged corruption, while calling for greater government accountability. Kabataan Party-list representative Renee Louise Co said poverty persisted because government resources were not being used to improve public services. “We are not poor by accident. We are poor because public funds are squandered instead of being used for essential social services,” she said in Filipino during the program. She added that more aspects of public life had been privatized while the prices of basic commodities continued to increase. “We are poor because basic services remain underfunded while more aspects of our lives are privatized. At the same time, the prices of food, meat, and other basic necessities continue to rise,” she said in Filipino. Ms. Co also criticized the government’s foreign policy, saying it prioritized foreign interests over those of Filipinos. “Is this really for so-called global development? No! It serves the political, economic, and military interests of the United States in Southeast Asia,” she said. GABRIELA Party-list Rep. Sarah Jane I. Elago said the rising prices of essential goods and limited access to jobs, housing, and healthcare reflected what she described as the government’s failure to meet the needs of ordinary Filipinos. “The prices of rice, fuel, and electricity continue to rise. There is a shortage of jobs, housing, and basic social services,” she said in Filipino. Ms. Elago said poor families, farmers, fisherfolk, and workers continued to bear the burden of economic hardship. “Poor families are sinking deeper into debt because they cannot even afford enough food. Farmers are burdened with debt, fisherfolk lack the capital to provide for their families, and ordinary Filipinos are driven into debt because they cannot afford hospital bills and medicines.” She urged the government to lower the prices of basic goods, abolish the value-added tax (VAT), increase wages, and expand support for agriculture and livelihood. “We are demanding action on the people’s long-standing calls that the government has failed to address.” ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio L. Tinio questioned the government’s assertion that funding constraints had limited investments in public services, arguing that corruption had diverted resources intended for education, healthcare, and housing. “The government says it has no money for classrooms. The government says it has no money for hospitals, housing, and educational supplies. Do you believe that?” he asked the crowd in Filipino, to which the crowd answered “No.” Mr. Tinio alleged that “not just billions but trillions of pesos” had been lost through flood control scams and criticized what he described as selective anti-corruption efforts. “Any anti-corruption campaign will remain selective, unjust, and lacking in credibility if those allegedly involved in the flood control scandals are not held accountable all the way up to Malacañang,” he said. The People’s SONA is held annually by progressive organizations as an alternative assessment of the country’s conditions. Organizers this year called for higher wages, greater public spending on education, healthcare, and housing, stronger support for farmers and fisherfolk, and accountability for alleged corruption in government.