Marcos' SONA: A 'Pivotal Moment' to Restore Public Trust?

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 27, can be a chance for him to restore public trust that has steadily eroded over the last four years, but it won’t be an easy task. “The upcoming [SONA] is a pivotal moment. A chance to present a clear, citizen-centered roadmap that favors solutions over feuds,” Alliance of Concerned Teachers vice chairperson Carl Marc Ramota said at the Center for People Empowerment in Governance’s (CenPEG) 2026 State of the Presidency Forum held at the University of the Philippines on July 21. “If the President can steer the ship back to these fundamentals — accountability, economic relief, and governance — the tide of public trust can return,” Ramota added. Four years into his term, Marcos’ public trust score continued to decline. According to the Social Weather Stations’ June 2026 survey, only 34% of Filipinos expressed “much trust” in the President, while Vice President Sara Duterte maintained a 57% trust rating. With the Constitution declaring that “public office is a public trust,” Ramota said that the ship of state can only sail as far as public confidence in government will carry it. “In a democracy, sentiment is not whispered in Palace halls. It is measured, broadcasted, and even quantified,” he said. “A leader may survive on bad policy, but if the foundation of trust crumbles, the whole house can collapse.” ‘Kitchen table realities’ One of the victories being trumpeted by the Marcos administration is the Philippines achieving “upper middle income economy” status. While this mirroes decades of “accumulated growth, resilience of remittances, and dynamism of services,” economist Emmanuel Leyco said it does not reflect the realities of many Filipinos. Ordinary citizens continue to bear the brunt of the economic struggles the country faces, such as the inflating prices of basic goods and services. “Surveys show that classes D and E, our mass market and poorest sectors, have been the hardest hit. They hold the President directly accountable for their kitchen table realities,” Ramota said. Leyco said that these sectors suffer even more than the national inflation figures suggest, making the burden of inflation unequal. “[T]he administration has conceded that affordable living is an objective, not yet a condition. And let me say this: The P20-[rice per kilo] window truly exists and it deserves defending, but the P20-economy does not yet exist and the fifth SONA should plainly say so,” Leyco said. Filipino already reeling from high prices of basic commodities and fuel are also confronted with questionable multibillion-peso flood control projects, corruption, and the slow process of holding public officials accountable, said Ramota. He said his created a perception that the government is more concerned with protecting itself than addressing the problems within its own ranks, fueling rising frustration among the people. The public has witnessed Senate coups, budget disputes, and impeachment proceedings unfold, but these political developments have brought little change to their everyday lives. Ramota said accountability is expected to become a defining issue ahead of the 2028 elections. The Vice President’s impeachment trial is already influencing the position of political figures ahead of the next race. “Noise without solutions breeds fatigue, and fatigue morphs into distrust,” he added. Kabataan Representative Renee Co said the impeachment trial outcome will ultimately determine the level of accountability that can be imposed on public officials involved in corruption. – Patricia Fontilar/Rappler.com Patricia Fontilar is a journalism student at the University of the Philippines Diliman and the managing editor of Tinig ng Plaridel, the official student publication of the UP College of Media and Communication. She is currently a Rappler intern.