NCCP Statement on the 5th State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
“When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.” (Proverbs 29:2)
On July 27, 2026, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will deliver his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) to present what his administration considers its accomplishments, as well as his plans for the remaining years of his presidency.
For the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), the measurement of an administration’s success should not be based on the volume of applause inside the session hall or polished presentations on a screen. Rather, it is whether the claims are reflected and felt in the daily lives of the majority of the Filipino people: Are they rejoicing, or are they groaning? (Prov. 29:2)
According to the March 2026 Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, 52% of Filipino families rated themselves as poor. Despite calls by labor groups to increase the national minimum wage to Php 1,200 to meet the estimated family living wage, the government only granted an Php 85 increase in the daily minimum wage in the National Capital Region.
The majority of the people continue to bear the burden of high fuel prices and other basic goods exacerbated by the continuing war of aggression of the United States and Israel against Iran. Instead of answering the longstanding calls to repeal the Oil Deregulation Law and to suspend excise taxes on petroleum products, the government has provided palliative measures like measly fuel subsidies and “ayuda”, which further breed patronage politics and degrade the Filipino core value of “utang na loob.”
Meanwhile, billions are lost to corruption. This is the backdrop of the impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte over the alleged misuse of public funds and grave threats. The NCCP supports the process of impeachment as an instrument to hold high public officials accountable for their abuse of power and misuse of public funds. At the same time, we hope that all public officials implicated in corruption issues, including those involved in flood control project scandals, must also be brought to bars of justice. Corruption cannot be fully addressed by jailing a few political rivals while overlooking the same problems among political allies. It cannot be resolved when it is deeply ingrained in a system where government positions, funded by the Filipino people, are used to gain personal wealth and increase power.
Recent actions by the government also put the public’s safety at risk, undermines the country’s sovereignty, and draws us into wider geopolitical conflicts. On May 5, shortly after midnight, a Tomahawk missile was fired by the US and Philippine militaries from Tacloban Airport, a civilian facility, towards Laur, Nueva Ecija as part of the Balikatan exercises.
As if the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) — which gives the US free reign and control of lands, ports, and territorial waters — isn’t enough, the Marcos, Jr. government also entered an agreement for the US-led Pax Silica which paves the way for an establishment of an advanced manufacturing zone across 1,618 hectares of land in Central Luzon. Aside from the big possibility of displacing thousands of farmers and Indigenous Peoples from their communities, the project will also exploit and destroy our natural environment. Worse, Pax Silica will be a high-tech production hub for components for instruments of war.
These realities are compelling people to organize themselves and to claim their rights. However, civic space is shrinking due to the weaponization of laws like Anti-Terrorism Law and the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Law and other forms of human rights violations.
These are just a few issues that show the true state of the nation — where the majority of the people are mired in poverty, corruption is endemic, and our sovereignty and independence are compromised.
The SONA might project a successful administration for the year past, with the applause and accolades for whatever will be presented by the president. But as biblical wisdom in Proverbs 29:2 points to us, the true measure of the nation’s leadership lies in whether the people are rejoicing or groaning. By the looks of it, the Filipino people’s condition is not getting any better, but in fact, is bound to get worse.
If Pres. Marcos Jr. hopes to see a nation where people rejoice in the government, his administration must prioritize providing domestic jobs with sustainable and decent wages, and delivering basic social services. Ultimately, there is an immediate need to implement national industrialization and genuine land reform initiatives to boost the local economy, strengthen the agricultural sector, and provide opportunities for development that truly aligns with the aspirations of Filipinos for a just and lasting peace.
Meanwhile, the NCCP encourages the Filipino people to continuously stand together in solidarity, united in prayer and action in the name of Jesus Christ’s promise of an abundant life for all, and to defend our country from servility to foreign powers and our environment from plunder. #
Signed and issued this day, 24th of July 2026.
The Most Rev. Brent Harry W. Alawas
Chairperson
Bishop Joseph G. Agpaoa
Vice Chairperson for Men
Ms. Jennifer Ferariza-Meneses
Vice-Chairperson for Women
Rev. Jon Dave A. Angeles
Vice Chairperson for Youth
Rev. Leonardo R. Morada
Corporate Treasurer
Ms. Minnie Anne Mata-Calub
General Secretary
