YACAP assessed Marcos Jr.’s 4th State of the Nation Address only to get the following:
1) Band-aid solution to Agriculture
Marcos Jr. said: “Napatunayan na natin na kaya na natin ang bente pesos sa bawat kilo ng bigas, nang hindi malulugi ang ating mga magsasaka.“
However, despite President Marcos Jr.’s claims of agricultural progress, many Filipino farmers continue to face worsening conditions. The Benteng Bigas Meron Na! (BBM Na!) program failed to reach its target of two million beneficiaries [1].
Cases of land-grabbing and harassment of farmers remain widespread, directly contradicting the administration’s narrative of rural development. Thousands of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) remain landless, especially in regions like Northern Mindanao and Central Luzon [2]. In some cases, farmers who were granted land titles are being displaced by landlords or large corporations through legal loopholes or outright force.
Marcos Jr.’s approach to solving the agricultural crisis is still to appeal to investors and big corporations, rather than providing unconditional land to farmers. He has failed to allocate adequate funding and proper support to local farmers, relying instead on promises like the P20 bigas as a short-term relief that does little to address the root issues of feudalism in agriculture.
2) Militarization over Education
Marcos Jr. said: : “Sa tulong ng DOST, ginagamit natin ang mga magagandang dulot ng agham, tulad ng mga nadiskubre at nagawa ng ating mga siyentipiko at imbentor.” and “Maglalaan tayo ng sapat na pondo para rito. Alang-alang sa ating mga mag-aaral, hihilingin ko ang buong suporta ng ating Kongreso.”
However, even with a high regard for innovation, STEM in the Philippines continues to lag behind. Many institutions have reported budget cuts and salary delays [1], pushing Filipino scientists to pursue their careers abroad [2].
Meanwhile, the education system in the Philippines remains in crisis. In the previous year, the country ranked in the bottom 10 out of 81 countries in reading comprehension, mathematics, and science [3]. Foremost, Marcos Jr. has failed to hold Vice President and former DepEd secretary Sara Duterte accountable as she plunders the budget for education[4]. Furthermore, state universities have faced continuous budget reductions, while military funding remains at a high, experiencing little to no budget cuts in 2025 [5].
Education has been one of Marcos Jr’s key agendas from the start of his presidency, yet he continues to make promises that should have already been fulfilled in his first year.
3) Infrastructures for Self-interest
Marcos Jr. said: “Sa Build Better More, higit ang kapakanan at kaligtasan ng mamamayan ang napakamahalaga.”
However, many communities have experienced displacement, loss of livelihood, and environmental degradation due to megaprojects that were neither consulted on nor compensated adequately. The Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge, whose construction starts this year, will displace more fisherfolk in Manila Bay. It also poses environmental risks, as it is expected to cause permanent damage to the marine ecosystem in Manila Bay [1].
Corruption has been prevalent in many projects under this program. Corruption cases have already been filed against key officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways, showing a dangerous flaw in how funds circulate among these projects [2]. The government’s commitment to public safety is meaningless when people are removed from their homes without consultation, proper compensation, and access to alternative livelihood opportunities.
Furthermore, these projects are financed through foreign loans or public-private partnerships that primarily benefit external stakeholders—particularly imperialist countries like the US, Japan, and China, as well as multinational corporations. As a result, while their narrative promotes national development, the true beneficiaries are the financiers and foreign investors, not the Filipino people who bear the burden of debt and displacement [3].
The Build Better More program has become a tool for imperialist nations to maintain their domination over the country through loan commitments. While basic social services remain insufficient and inaccessible, P877 billion of the 2025 annual budget goes to debt servicing.
4) False Climate Solutions
Marcos Jr. said: “Bagaman kilalang-kilala na tayo sa buong mundo dahil sa pagpapahalaga natin sa renewable energy…”
However, under his administration, the Philippines has entered into agreements with countries like the US and Japan involving the exploitation of our natural resources. The country has gained recognition if the field of Renewable Energy primarily through the extraction of our minerals, only to have these resources sold back tenfold to us. Despite the reported addition of energy plants from the previous year, energy prices have still risen sharply, placing an even greater financial burden on Filipino families [1].
These new energy plants, presented under the guise of renewable energy, come at the expense of the people. Displacement has occurred to make way for hydro mega dams [2], LNG and fossil gas [3], wind turbines [4], and solar farms [5]. Many livelihoods of small farmers and fisherfolk have also been disrupted to make way for renewable energy projects that remain heavily privatized and corporate-driven [6]. Not to mention the environmental degradation these projects have caused, often requiring the destruction of local biodiversity for said energy projects.
Since his first SONA, Marcos Jr. has been eager to prioritize renewable energy. Yet, in pursuing these RE projects, his administration has trampled on the rights of indigenous groups, local communities, and workers. Marcos Jr. has yet to commit to phasing out fossil fuels or transitioning to renewable energy that is just and respects the rights of the Filipino people.
5) Corruption-filled Disaster Response
Marcos Jr. said: “Masigasig din ang ating paghahanda at pagmamatyag laban sa banta ng sakuna at kalamidad, lalo na sa bagong normal at nagbabagong klima na bugso ng panahon.”
Marcos Jr. said: “Hiling din namin ang inyong kooperasyon, inyong disiplina, pagmamatyag, at bayanihan bilang responsableng mamamayan. Kooperasyon sa mga malawakang ensayo, pagsunod sa mga babala at tagubilin, tulad ng agarang pag-likas at pag-iwas sa mga “danger zones”; Disiplina, lalo na sa wastong pagtapon ng basura;… Higit sa lahat, bayanihan sa pagdadamayan at pagtutulungan, lalo na sa mga nasalanta nating kapwa.”
However, accepting this as the “new normal” in the upcoming years should not be an option, as the disastrous impacts we are experiencing are not natural.
Experts have cried out against rapid urbanization and quarrying near Metro Manila and other areas as major reasons behind the worsening floods [1]. Areas like Bulacan, which previously did not experience severe flooding, now face knee-deep waters due to the construction of the Aerotropolis Airport and related infrastructure that obstruct natural river channels from draining rainwater out of the city [2]. Instead of allocating proper and transparent mechanisms for flood control, Marcos Jr. has once again shifted the blame to the Filipino people. In response to our call for genuine public service and just compensation, the administration continues to rely on the resiliency of the people.
Marcos Jr. said: “nag-inspeksyon ako sa naging epekto ng habagat, ng Bagyong Cirising, Dante, at Emong. Kitang-kita ko na maraming proyekto para sa flood control ay palpak at gumuho at ‘yung iba guni-guni lang.”
However, it is worth recalling that during his third State of the Nation Address, Marcos Jr. claimed to have 5,500 flood control projects reach completion, with more on the way – but with the incidents of extreme flooding happening one after the other, the accuracy of these claimes is called into questioning the truthfulness behind these projects [3]. Since the beginning of his term, Marcos Jr. has reportedly prioritized addressing the issues of flooding caused by extreme weather, allocating half a trillion pesos and granting the Department of Public Works and Highways the highest budget in three consecutive years. Still, many Filipinos failed to feel the impact and these efforts and continue to suffer from the devastating effects brought upon by the consecutive typhoons.
His implicit admission of failure regarding the flood control projects reflects both corruption and poor disaster response. In his three years of leadership, he has made no genuine effort to ease the public’s struggle for climate relief. He has failed to hold himself and his officials accountable while the communities face greater risks of flood and death.
Greenwashing initiatives at the expense of the Filipino people
In his hour-long speech, Marcos Jr. once again failed to address the state of human rights in the country, particularly with the alarming rise in red-tagging activists, enforced disappearances, and continued state harassment. There was no mention of the rights of indigenous communities, or of biodiversity conservation, both of which go hand-in-hand in ensuring a livable planet for the generations.
Bongbong Marcos Jr. should be ashamed of himself for delivering yet another speech filled with lies and manufactured realities. More than three years into his presidency, he has yet to demonstrate real transparency, effectiveness, or sincerity in his climate-related initiatives and policies. He continues to parade himself as a climate champion, attending international summits and posing for photo-ops, all while pushing policies that displace communities, destroy ecosystems, and reinforce private and foreign control over our natural resources.
His term is marked not by genuine climate action, but by greenwashing—using the language of sustainability to mask the same exploitative system that benefits a few at the cost of many. Foreign interests and domestic elites continue to profit, while the people are left to drown— both figuratively and literally—under floods, rising prices, lost livelihoods, and state neglect.
Rather than delivering the promises of climate justice and inclusive development, Marcos Jr.’s administration has deepened the crisis we face. As our communities cry out for real solutions, his government responds with denial, distraction, and repression.
Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines 