Flood Control, Cost of Living Top SONA Concerns

FLOOD CONTROL, the rising cost of living and government accountability are the issues Filipinos most want President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to address in his State of the Nation Address (SONA), according to a Capstone Intel Corp. study. Flood control generated the highest online engagement, accounting for 43.8% of SONA-related discussions monitored over the past year. “The data is telling us something very simple: Filipinos aren’t rejecting this government’s record — they’re rejecting the gap between what’s said and what’s shown,” Capstone Intel Chief Executive Officer Geraldine Brillantes said. The report analyzed 3,809 Facebook posts between July 2025 and July 2026. — Mark Joseph M. Sanchez Philippines has been experiencing frequent extreme weather events due to climate change, with flood damage becoming increasingly severe, especially in urban areas. In Metro Manila and its surrounding regions, traffic networks are disrupted with every heavy rainfall, significantly impacting economic activities. The government has pledged infrastructure development and disaster prevention measures, but the public seeks concrete results and improvements affecting daily life. Furthermore, influenced by global inflation, prices of food and fuel have been rising in the Philippines, straining household budgets. Citizens are looking forward to government measures for price stabilization and enhanced support for low-income groups. The SONA is a crucial occasion for the President to report on the administration's performance over the past year and outline future policy directions. It remains to be seen how much these earnest public voices will be reflected in the President's address. Source: BusinessWorld Nation