Marcos gets tough; let's look forward to genuine change

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) was a show of strength and resolve, delivered under the weight of a bruising midterm election loss and the politically charged atmosphere of an impeachment backlash.

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The President, seemingly cornered, chose to double down rather than sulk. He vowed to crack the whip on corruption, decried fraudulent flood control projects, and condemned sweetheart water deals that reek of betrayal to the public trust. He promised a better future—better infrastructure, better services, better lives. But rhetoric, however impassioned, certainly does not equate to change. Promises, no matter how thunderous, are not policies. What happens next will define not only his presidency, but the lives of millions of Filipinos.

The speech was heavy with populist appeal—an emotional appeal to the frustrations of ordinary Filipinos. But the harder question remains: Will these promises materialize into tangible results that truly change the lives of Filipinos, the rich and the poor alike? Or will they be lost in the same quagmire of bureaucracy, inaction, and impunity that has long plagued the country's governance?