The True State of the Nation: A Counter-SONA to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Fourth SONA

 By Atty. Arnedo S. Valera

“Walang P20 na bigas, pero punô ang bibig ng pangako.”

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. will again stand at the rostrum of Congress tomorrow, dressed in barong and rhetoric. But three years into his presidency, the Filipino people are still waiting for him to fulfill even just one of his bold promises — especially the one that symbolized hope and basic dignity: P20 per kilo rice.

Today, rice prices hover between P50 to P60 per kilo. Food inflation remains high, fuel costs burden the working class, and public debt has ballooned beyond P14 trillion. The dream of P20 rice has become a nightmare of empty stomachs.

The Surrender of Sovereignty and the Betrayal of Justice

No betrayal is more damning than the silent surrender of former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to the International Criminal Court (ICC) — a court whose jurisdiction the Philippines has long repudiated. While Marcos Jr. speaks of “independent foreign policy,” he has willfully allowed foreign powers to trample on our sovereignty by tolerating and even enabling ICC encroachment.

Walang dignidad ang pamahalaang nagkakanulo ng sarili nitong lider para lamang mapasaya ang mga dayuhan.

This move not only violates the principle of complementarity under the Rome Statute, but also insults the will of the Filipino people, who elected and supported Duterte’s campaign against drugs and criminality. It is a geopolitical maneuver to earn foreign approval at the expense of national integrity.

Economic Mirage: High Employment but Higher Hunger

While the government touts high employment figures, the reality is that many of these jobs are contractual, low-paying, and precarious. Unemployment remains significant, underemployment is rampant, and inflation continues to erode real wages.

The so-called economic growth is an illusion. There is no real industrialization, no serious program for agricultural modernization, no clear roadmap for food security. The government’s focus remains on importation, dependency, and foreign investment at the expense of Filipino labor, local enterprise, and long-term sustainability.

Independent Foreign Policy or Strategic Confusion?

President Marcos Jr. often repeats the phrase: “Friends to all, enemies to none.” But what does that mean when:

The Philippines remains heavily dependent on the United States militarily;

EDCA sites are expanded without full national discourse or strategic clarity;

Trade relations with China are tense and unbalanced;

And our national interest remains undefined.

The Constitution mandates a nuclear-free, independent foreign policy. What we see instead is a dangerous drift — a proxy posture caught between superpowers without a spine of neutrality. The so-called reduction of US tariffs from 20% to 19% is a neo-colonial fig leaf — especially when Filipino goods face tariffs, while American goods enter our markets duty-free.

This is not diplomacy. This is dependency.

Fortified Neutrality: The Better Path Forward

We call for a Fortified Philippine Neutrality, anchored in:

A complete review and dismantling of EDCA sites and military arrangements with foreign powers;

Pursuing equal and reciprocal trade relations with all nations, including China, ASEAN neighbors, and the Global South;

Promoting joint economic zones in the South China Sea focused on peaceful development;

Upholding our Constitutional ban on nuclear weapons, and asserting this globally.

Neutrality is not weakness. It is wisdom in a time of global tension.

Corruption, Dynastic Control, and Legislative Capture

Despite billions allocated yearly, flooding worsens, infrastructure remains dilapidated, and graft continues unabated. The Romualdez-Marcos political bloc now exercises control over the executive and the House of Representatives — not as co-equal branches of government, but as a monopoly of power and patronage.

They control the purse, the narrative, and the machinery of governance.

Even with record budgets, the delivery of public service is weak. From health care to education, our people continue to suffer — not because of lack of resources, but because of misuse, incompetence, and systemic corruption.

Human Rights and National Security

The Marcos Jr. administration has failed to decisively address both:

The terrorism of the CPP-NPA-NDF, which continues to exploit and deceive under the guise of activism;

And Islamic fundamentalist networks that still pose credible threats in Mindanao and urban centers.

We condemn the continued weaponization of dissent and human rights violations against media, religious groups, and critics. But we also demand that the state must distinguish between legitimate dissent and those who continue to espouse armed revolution against the Republic.

There must be no tolerance for those still waving the red flag of Maoist insurgency after 53 years of violence and failed ideology.

A People's Alternative SONA

Our vision is clear. We present the following points as the People’s True Agenda:

1. Immediate economic relief: Subsidies for food, fuel, and housing; price control on basic goods.

2. Real job generation: National industrialization, support for MSMEs, and protection of workers’ rights.

3. Fortified neutrality and peace diplomacy: End EDCA and restore foreign policy grounded in national interest.

4. Electoral reform and anti-dynasty enforcement: To break the monopoly of families over public power.

5. Justice for victims of abuse, corruption, and neglect: Full investigations into all unresolved political killings, pork barrel scams, and unexplained wealth.

6. Address terrorism, but uphold human rights: No to communism, no to religious extremism, but also no to state terror.

7. Invest in food, flood control, and Filipino futures: End wasteful spending and start caring for our own people.

Panahon na. Hindi na pwede ang palusot.

“Ang tunay na kalagayan ng ating bayan ay hindi nababasa sa papel kundi nararamdaman sa sikmura ng bawat Pilipino.”

The time for pageantry is over. This administration has failed to inspire, failed to deliver, and failed to define what it truly means to be a sovereign, just, and independent Republic.

We must now rise — as a free people, with our own agenda, and with leaders who serve, not rule; who listen, not lecture; who act, not just perform.

Let this counter-SONA be the opening chapter of a new citizen awakening, and a call for real, fearless, and faith-driven change.

Mabuhay ang Sambayanang Pilipino! Mabuhay ang Tunay na SONA ng Bayan!

#SONAngTotoo

#P20RicePaNasaan

#NeutralidadHindiGiyera

#WakasanAngPamilyaPolitika

Atty. Arnedo S. Valera is the executive director of the Global Migrant Heritage Foundation and managing attorney at Valera & Associates, a US immigration and anti-discrimination law firm for over 32 years. He holds a master’s degree in International Affairs and International Law and Human Rights from Columbia University and was trained at the International Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. He obtained his Bachelor of Laws from Ateneo de Manila University. He is an AB-Philosophy Major at the University of Santo Tomas (UST). He is a professor at San Beda Graduate School of Law (LLM Program), teaching International Security and Alliances.