SONA: Marcos warns flood control cheats

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday used his State of the Nation Address (SONA) to warn government officials and contractors who colluded to pocket public funds meant for flood control would face charges next month.

“Let’s stop pretending,” President Marcos said, delivering his address in Filipino. “The public knows full well that there are people making money off these projects.”

“Recently, I conducted an inspection of the effects of Typhoons Crising, Dante and Emong. I saw firsthand that many flood control projects were substandard and collapsed. Others turned out to be mere pigments of imagination,” Marcos said.

INTO YEAR FOUR President Ferdinand Marcos delivers his fourth State of the Nation Address. Behind him are Senate President Francis Escudero and House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez. Photo by Rene H. Dilan

Marcos then told government officials and contractors who conspired to steal public funds to be ashamed of themselves.

“So to those conspiring to steal public funds and rob our citizens of their future — have some shame,” Marcos said, earning applause and a standing ovation at the Plenary Hall.

“Have some shame for the families whose homes were washed away or submerged in the floods. Have some shame, especially for our children, who will inherit the debt you incurred from the money you stole,” he added.

Marcos tasked the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to submit a list of flood-control projects in the last three years.

The President also directed the Regional Project Monitoring Committee to examine that list of projects and give a report on the projects tagged as failures, those that have been finished, and those that are alleged to be ghost projects.

“We will publish this list so that citizens who have witnessed these projects can freely examine it and share what they know to help with the investigation,” Marcos said.

Marcos also ordered an audit and performance review on these projects “to check, to make sure, and to know how your money was spent.”

He warned that by next month, those who would be found guilty and colluding contractors will be held liable.

“Charges will be filed against all who are found guilty through the investigation, including the colluding contractors nationwide,” Marcos said.

“The public deserves to know the whole truth. Someone must be held accountable for the severe damage caused,” he added.

Budget scrutiny

The President said he would also return any general appropriations bill to Congress if this was not aligned with the government’s National Expenditure Program for 2026.

“I am willing to do this even if we end up with a reenacted budget. I will not approve any budget that is not in line with the government’s plan for the Filipino people,” he said.

Due to corruption, he said the supposed flood-control projects that are intended to protect communities from the harmful effects of continuous rain and typhoons failed and, worse, were mere “pigments of imagination.”

In the 2025 national budget, the President vetoed over P26 billion worth of line items in the DPWH’s budget, of which 95 were flood control projects.

Missing sabungeros

The President also issued a strong warning against those responsible for the missing sabungeros (cockfighting aficionados).

He said that a whole-of-government approach was in place to solve the crime involving these persons, who had gone missing since 2021.

“The entire administration is cooperating to resolve the cases of those missing due to the impunity committed by syndicates behind the dark world of cockfighting,” Marcos said.

Regardless of whether they are powerful, big, or rich, the President said these criminals would not be able to evade the law.

“Above all, we will make the culprits feel the weight of the punishment for their heinous crime,” Marcos said.

“We will pursue and hold accountable the brains and accomplices, whether they’re civilians or officials,” he added.

While the case involved online electronic betting on cockfights, Marcos did not address growing calls to ban online gambling.

Water woes

The President also vowed that heads would roll after learning that 6 million people have been affected by poor water service.

“We will ensure that those who neglect and fail in this important public service are held accountable,” Marcos said.

Marcos also said the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) was now taking steps to address the poor service of the water districts and their joint venture partners.

“LWUA will ensure that the water service for millions of Filipinos will be fixed and the price will also be made more affordable,” he added.

Anti-drug campaign

The President also pledged that the government would remain relentless in its fight against the illegal drug trade in the country.

“Despite these, it seems that drug peddlers are coming back. So, our operations against drug dealers, whether big-time or small-time, will continue,” he said.

This, as he reported that a total of P83 billion of illegal drugs have been seized and 153,000 suspects arrested since he assumed office in 2022.

He said that of the arrested suspects, 9,600 were listed as high-value targets, with large shipments being intercepted in the provinces of Zambales, Pangasinan, Cagayan, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, Cebu, Batangas, Rizal, and Cavite; as well as in Tondo, Manila and Muntinlupa City.

“Worst of all, around 677 of them are government employees: more than 100 are elected officials; over 50 are police officers,” Marcos said.

“In just three years, the total caught by the previous administration has almost been matched,” he added.

Food security

Marcos assured the public that he would go “all out” in the second half of his term, saying his administration would intensify efforts to improve the lives of Filipinos beyond the country’s recent economic gains.

The President reiterated how the result of the May 2025 elections served as a wake-up call to all politicians.

“The public is disappointed at the government, especially with the basic services,” he said. “The lesson is simple: We need to be better and faster.”

Marcos said that while the country’s economy was performing well on paper, that alone was not enough if ordinary Filipinos continued to struggle.

“If we talk only of data, our economy is doing well and investor confidence is up. Inflation has dropped and jobs have increased,” he said.

“That’s why in the last three years of the administration, we will give our all. Not only to match but also to exceed our efforts to ease the lives of our countrymen,” he added.

The President pledged to step up government efforts and intensify programs to attain food security.

“Since this administration started, more than eight and a half million farmers and fisherfolk have received assistance. We will further intensify government programs to help more,” he said.

Marcos said the government’s goal was to boost the production of agricultural products such as rice, corn, pineapple, banana, mango, coffee, cacao, calamansi, sugarcane, onion and garlic.

He said there were already thousands of farm machinery and facilities that would benefit farmers and fishers.

“Thousands of kilometers of farm-to-market roads have been built, and thousands more kilometers are being inaugurated. Thousands of hectares of land have been irrigated throughout the country. And thousands more hectares will be irrigated,” he added.

Marcos also announced that the P20 rice program, his campaign promise during the 2022 elections, was expanding nationwide.

“We have proven that we can bring down rice prices to P20 per kilo without incurring losses for farmers,” the President said.

“We have successfully launched the program in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao in areas such as San Juan, Pangasinan, Cavite, Occidental Mindoro, Cebu, Bacolod, Guimaras, Siquijor and Davao del Sur,” he said.

The President said the government would earmark P113 billion to strengthen the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) programs.

“We will launch this nationwide through our hundreds of Kadiwa stores and centers at various local governments,” Marcos said.

Initially launched in the Visayas in April, the program has expanded to at least 162 locations across the country, offering the cheaper subsidized rice.

Members of the vulnerable sectors are on the priority list of who can avail of the P20 per kilo of rice.

Marcos also promised to take decisive action against unscrupulous traders who would manipulate the prices of agricultural commodities, especially rice.

He said his administration was focused on dismantling smuggling operations and going after offenders, stressing that economic sabotage cases await them.

“I warn traders who try to manipulate the price of palay or rice or cheat farmers. We will go after you, because what you are doing is considered economic sabotage,” Marcos said.

The government would also ramp up efforts to provide more employment opportunities for Filipinos, the President said.

He said the Department of Labor and Employment, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Tourism, and other government agencies would provide opportunities to unemployed Filipinos.

“We will grow industries such as car manufacturing, molding, electronics, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, critical minerals, Filipino textiles, Halal, construction, and power plants,” he said.

Marcos also urged businesses to invest in the Philippines, especially in the country’s agriculture sector.

“And my singular resounding message to the international business community is this: The Philippines is ready. Invest in the Filipino.

Our cavalcade of dependable and hardworking Filipinos, innately skilled, adaptable, and possessed with a heart for service, are here, ready to work and to succeed with you,” he added.

4Ps, other social services

Meanwhile, the President also directed the inclusion of homeless individuals in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and other programs of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

He said that under his administration, more than 5 million families were beneficiaries of the conditional cash grant of the 4Ps.

“We think of our fellow countrymen who are living in the streets. They are the ones in most need of help,” Marcos said.

“To our LGUs, look for them and include them in the 4Ps and other programs of the DSWD. So, we can help them back on their feet, and they can start their journey in improving their lives,” he added.