Marcos SONA 2026: Promises made, delivered, expectations, and everything you need to know

ADVERTISEMENT Filtered By: Topstories News By GMA News Published July 26, 2026 12:03pm + Add GMA on Google Make this your preferred source to get more updates from this publisher on Google. What a difference a year makes.When the clock strikes four on Monday afternoon, July 27, 2026, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.

will once again ask the Filipino nation to look back with pride—and to the future with hope. His fifth trip to the plenary podium at the House of Representatives, however, will be under unique circumstances.In his previous SONA in 2025, Marcos spoke emphatically against corruption towards the end of his address.

"Mahiya naman kayo (You should be ashamed)," the President said, a signature line that opened the floodgates to investigations seeking to weed out those who pocketed taxpayers' money from flood control projects.While the President feels that he blew the lid on the multibillion-peso corruption scandal, the Marcos administration has been beset with questions over the past year about its sincerity and alleged selectiveness in pursuing justice. Asked if he will be tackling corruption during his fifth SONA, the President on Friday said, "Abangan ang susunod na kabanata (Stay tuned for the next chapter)."

Indeed, the nation will be watching. Looking at the most recent survey results, a good number of Filipinos may need some convincing. Marcos enters his fifth SONA with a record-low trust rating of 34%, according a June 20 to 29, 2026 commissioned survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

His trust rating is even lower in the latest Pulse Asia survey at 28%, conducted on June 28 to July 3 and July 6, 2026.Meanwhile, some key economic numbers won't be in Marcos' favor either. On the last trading day heading into the day of the 2026 SONA, the Philippine peso hit rock bottom yet again, trading at a fresh historic-low of P61.

847:$1. Inflation has shot up nearly fivefold since June 2025, from 1.4% to 6.

4% a year later. This was largely because of the effects of the Middle East crisis, which also exposed yet again the Philippines' dependency on oil imports from the region.The business sector was bullish after the Philippines achieved its long-awaited goal of being classified as an upper-middle income economy, but critics continue to ask if this translates to tangible benefits for ordinary Filipinos.

In this critical time in Philippine history, GMA News Online presents this special webpage on Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.’s 2026 State of the Nation Address. The GMA News Online team looked into the Marcos administration's performance in key sectors since the President's previous address to remind Filipinos of what he promised, what his government delivered, and what they may look out for on Monday and the days ahead.

One thing was clear from the 2025 SONA: Words from the President during his address to both House of Congress carry weight, and the power to set things in motion. How the President uses his platform on the 2026 SONA may be a tipping point—not just in the fight against corruption or to flex political muscle—but to move the bureaucracy and the nation towards positive change. —Val Veneracion/ RSJ, GMA News Read more with these GMA News Online reports:Only 2 of 53 Marcos priority bills enacted a year into 20th CongressBy Sundy Locus, GMA News The Marcos administration’s legislative agenda has seen limited progress nearly a year into the 20th Congress, with only two of the 53 priority bills endorsed by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) enacted into law.

In March, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. signed into law Republic Act (RA) No. 12317, resetting the inaugural Bangsamoro parliamentary elections to September 14, 2026.

Marcos likewise signed RA No. 12316 into law, which granted him emergency powers to suspend or reduce the excise tax rate on petroleum products amid the rising fuel prices in the country due to the US-Israel war on Iran.However, these are only two of the 53 priority bills of the Marcos administration, with a huge chunk of the proposed measures remaining pending at the committee levels of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Click here to read moreData from GMA News Research found that one bill — the Amendments to the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act — is now one step away from becoming law after the bicameral conference committee approved it.Four LEDAC bills are pending in the bicameral conference committee, while 20 are still pending at the committee levels of both chambers.The status of the 53 priority measures identified by LEDAC is as follows:Passed into lawRA 12316: Authorizing the President to Suspend or Reduce Excise Tax on Petroleum Products RA 12317: Resetting the First Regular Elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM)Pending enrolmentAmendments to the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education ActPending Bicameral Conference CommitteeNational Center for Geria