CALOOCAN District 2 Rep. Edgar Erice has criticized President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) as heavy on new pledges but light on answers about unfulfilled commitments from the past five years.
“After five SONAs, the Filipino people are no longer asking what the President plans to do. They’re asking what he has actually accomplished,” Erice stated in his privilege speech.
The lawmaker outlined three key areas of concern: unkept administration promises, the alleged ₱1-trillion budget and infrastructure anomaly, and the absence of meaningful political reforms.
Among the pledges still awaiting fulfillment, Erice cited the annual one-million housing unit target, the P20-per-kilo rice promise, robust anti-corruption initiatives, and long-delayed political reforms.
“The promise of unity has been replaced by political infighting. While those in power prepare for 2028, ordinary Filipinos continue to suffer from high prices, low incomes, and a declining quality of life.”
He also criticized the absence of a clear roadmap to address inflation, strengthen agriculture, improve education, restore investor confidence, and manage the country’s growing debt burden.
The congressman revisited Marcos’ 2025 declaration of “Mahiyâ naman kayo,” when the latter vowed to expose those behind anomalies in flood control and infrastructure spending.
“He promised to identify the masterminds. He promised there’d be no sacred cows. Five years later, where’s the report? Where’s the accounting of the alleged ₱1-trillion budget and infrastructure anomaly? And where are those responsible?” Erice asked.
He also questioned why the promised Independent People’s Commission was never established and why investigations appeared to lose momentum.
Erice likewise condemned the administration’s failure to pass a genuine Anti-Political Dynasty Law, noting that the Constitution’s mandate against political dynasties remains unenforced.
He also cited the unpassed CADENA Act, which he said would have improved transparency and accountability in the national budget process.
On economic concerns, Erice warned that slowing growth, rising public debt, weakening investor confidence, and increasing debt servicing costs are straining the country’s future.
According to him, the true measure of leadership is not the number of promises made but the number of promises fulfilled.
What matters is not the applause inside the session hall, but the number of Filipino families whose lives have genuinely improved, he pointed out.
