*Dr. Rodolfo John Ortiz Teope, PhD, EdD, DM
Last year, I had the privilege of sitting inside a television studio as the invited annotator and analyst of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address. Habang nagsasalita ang Pangulo, hindi lamang ako nakikinig bilang isang ordinaryong mamamayan. I listened as someone who has spent years studying governance, public administration, political systems, and institutional reform. Every paragraph carried a message. Every statistic invited scrutiny. Every promise demanded a simple but important question: Will this eventually be felt by the Filipino people?
Marami akong observations noon. Some were encouraging. Others were cautionary. Ngunit higit sa lahat, sinabi ko sa aking sarili na ang tunay na sukatan ng anumang SONA ay hindi ang palakpakan sa loob ng Batasang Pambansa. Ang tunay na sukatan ay kung ano ang mararamdaman ng mga Pilipino pagkalipas ng isang taon.
This year, I was again honored by invitations from several television programs to provide my analysis of the 2026 SONA. Unfortunately, prior commitments prevented me from accepting any of them. Instead of sitting under studio lights, I found myself watching the President’s speech quietly on YouTube, alone with my notebook, pausing every now and then to reflect—not as a television analyst this time, but simply as a Filipino trying to understand where our country stands today.
As I listened, one thought repeatedly entered my mind.
On paper, everything sounded good.
The administration reported continuing infrastructure projects, education initiatives, agricultural support, health programs, digitalization, disaster resilience, and renewed efforts against corruption. The speech projected optimism and confidence that government programs are moving in the right direction.
And to be fair, a State of the Nation Address is expected to report what an administration has accomplished and what it hopes to achieve next. There is nothing unusual about highlighting progress.
Yet after the applause faded, another question remained in my mind.
If so many good things are happening, why does our nation still feel deeply divided?
This is not a criticism of the speech itself. It is a reflection on the reality that exists beyond the walls of Congress.
Even after the SONA, the country remains divided and engaged in the deadly civil war of narratives. Supporters and critics continue to interpret the same events in completely different ways. For some, the speech reflected a government steadily delivering results. For others, many of the promised improvements have yet to become part of their daily lives.
Perhaps that is the greatest challenge facing any administration.
Government programs may exist.
Budgets may be approved.
Projects may be completed.
But public confidence ultimately depends on whether people experience those improvements personally.
No amount of communication can fully substitute for lived experience.
Kapag mabilis ang serbisyo sa ospital, hindi na kailangang kumbinsihin ang tao na gumaganda ang healthcare.
Kapag mas maayos ang transportasyon, hindi na kailangang paulit-ulit na ipaliwanag na may infrastructure development.
Kapag mas mabilis ang serbisyo sa mga tanggapan ng gobyerno, ang mga mamamayan mismo ang magiging pinakamabisang tagapagsalita ng administrasyon.
The strongest government communication is not a speech.
It is a citizen who says, “Nararamdaman ko ang pagbabago.”
That is why I believe the administration’s next challenge is not only to continue implementing programs, but to ensure that their impact becomes visible across every community, regardless of political affiliation.
One message from the President that stood out to me was his emphasis that he serves the Republic above personal relationships. I was waiting for him to announce something like pursuing a case against a relative on the issue of the flood control scandal. But it did'nt happen. Public statements of accountability matter because they reinforce an important democratic principle: no one should be above the law. But as with every administration, the lasting measure will be how consistently those principles are reflected in institutions and public service.
Among all the issues discussed, corruption remains the one that many Filipinos continue to watch most closely.
Every peso lost to corruption is not merely a financial loss. It is a classroom that was never built, a medicine that never reached a patient, a flood-control project that failed a community, or an opportunity taken away from an ordinary family.
This is why the fight against corruption carries such weight. It is not only about prosecuting wrongdoing. It is about restoring public trust.
As I finished watching the SONA, I found myself returning to the same conclusion I reached a year ago.
The true State of the Nation cannot be measured only by the accomplishments reported from the podium.
It must also be measured by the confidence of the people.
When Filipinos from different political beliefs begin to recognize improvements because they genuinely experience them—not because they are persuaded by speeches, but because they see them in their daily lives—that is when the promise of national unity becomes more attainable.
Until then, every SONA will continue to face the same challenge.
Not whether it was well delivered.
But whether its promises become the lived experience of the Filipino people.
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Dear friends,
*About the author:
