Senator Legarda urges President Marcos to outline reforms in 5th SONA

Senator Loren Legarda on Saturday urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to use his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) to provide a candid assessment of the country's situation and present concrete plans for addressing the issues that continue to affect Filipinos.

Legarda said the annual address should not be limited to highlighting government accomplishments but should also explain how the administration intends to tackle persistent problems, including inflation, governance issues, climate-related disasters, corruption, and national security concerns.

She said many Filipino families remain vulnerable after years of successive crises, with rising prices, unstable incomes, and inadequate public services leaving them ill-equipped to cope with new economic shocks.

"The Filipino people have endured one crisis after another, often without enough savings, stable income, or reliable public services to cushion the next shock," she said.

Although the country has recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, Legarda noted that households continue to feel the effects of food inflation, fluctuating fuel costs, supply chain disruptions, and geopolitical tensions.

She pointed to the recent conflict in the Middle East as an example of the Philippines' continued dependence on imported fuel, saying the resulting increases in transportation, electricity, and food costs underscore the need for policies that directly ease the burden on consumers.

Legarda also challenged the administration to account for its anti-corruption efforts, calling on the President to detail the reforms implemented to improve transparency, hold erring officials accountable, and prevent questionable government transactions.

"The fifth SONA must now explain what structural reforms have been undertaken, who has been held responsible, how questionable transactions will be prevented, and how the government will restore public confidence in the use of taxpayers' money," she said.

The senator likewise cautioned against treating the Philippines' recent upper-middle-income classification as proof that living conditions have substantially improved. While acknowledging it as an economic milestone, she said poverty and income inequality continue to prevent many Filipinos from enjoying the benefits of growth.

On education, Legarda said the country's development should also be measured by the welfare of its children. She cited the continued prevalence of child stunting and the shortage of more than 165,000 classrooms, urging the government to invest more in nutrition, early childhood education, teacher support, school infrastructure, and programs to improve literacy and numeracy.

She also called for stricter implementation of environmental laws following recent landfill collapses in Cebu and Rizal, including the closure of illegal dumpsites and stronger enforcement of solid waste management policies.

On foreign policy, Legarda urged the administration to sustain efforts to protect the country's interests in the West Philippine Sea through a continued maritime presence, support for local fisherfolk, and adherence to international law.

With only two years left in the Marcos administration, Legarda said the government should shift its focus toward delivering measurable results. She urged the President to present specific targets, implementation timelines, responsible agencies, and funding plans for addressing inflation, employment, corruption, education, food and energy security, climate resilience, maritime rights, and assistance for vulnerable sectors.