Despite vowing for reforms, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) 2025 attracted sharp criticisms from civil society leaders of various sectors for its devoid of any fiscal roadmap needed for funding.

In a post-SONA forum broadcast live by PUBLiCUS Asia, critics pointed to the administration’s absence of concrete plans supporting the sweeping pledges on healthcare, education, infrastructure, and food subsidies, amid the rising public debt and economic instability.

University of Fraser Valley Associate and Economics Professor Michael Batu underscored how the drop in inflation and unemployment does not reflect the lived realities of many Filipinos. 

“Hindi ramdam ng tao. Walang wage growth, walang para sa mga manggagawa,” he stressed.

Batu also noted that stagnant wages and underemployment stem from a deeper productivity crisis, one that the President failed to acknowledge.

“May problema tayo sa productivity. Kung hindi natin ayusin ’yan, hindi talaga mararamdaman ang sinasabing economic growth,” he warned.

Vice President of External Affairs of Philippine Strategic Studies and Chinese Relations expert Anna Malindog-Uy described the SONA as “utopian and disconnected,” saying it relied on emotionally charged appeals rather than fiscal logic.

“President Marcos Jr. is painting utopia with a lot of promises. But the question really is, can he do these things? Where would he get the budget for all of these things?” Uy questioned.

She then criticized the absence of any mention of the growing U.S. military presence in the Philippines, particularly under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA)and the looming imbalance under the PH–US Reciprocal Trade Agreement.

“Kung titingnan natin, tayo lang yong pro-American, sumusunod sa lahat ng dictate ng America,” she highlighted. 

Moreover, Uy also found it ironic that Marcos vowed accountability for the 5,500 faulty flood control projects, many of which were implemented under his own administration.

“When it comes to accountability, siya yung dapat mag-account nito noon pa. And then now sasabihin niya kailangan managot ang mga may kinalaman dito sa flood control project… kanya yan eh.  Administrasyon  niya [‘yan] eh.”

Founding Director of the Al Qalam Institute Datu Mussolini Lidasan raised alarm about  the neglect of the Bangsamoro peace process over the increasing violence and political unrest in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

“Ang malaking challenge is… how to solve the horizontal violence. Aabot sa 1.6 deaths everyday ang killings sa BARMM pero walang hustisya, walang klarong way ang government natin to address those killings.”

Further, Humanities and Social Science (HUMSS) Specialist Franz Mercurio said the SONA’s claims on education reform remain largely rhetorical, urging the administration to focus more on curriculum reform rather than short-term plans.

“Masasabi ko po na 90% ng mga sinabi niya tungkol sa education kahapon ay hindi namin nararamdaman,” he claimed.

“I hope na yung government eh magtutok pa sa education kasi mandate siya ng constitution na dapat highest budgetary priority iyung education.”

PUBLiCUS Asia technical staffer Eric Estrabo also called the administration’s approach in the agricultural sector as “fragmented and reactive,” cautioning that it lacks coherence and long-term direction.

“Kumbaga nagkaroon ito ng misconception na porket mataas ang produksyon at merong libo-libong farm-to-market roads ay nasulusyonan ang agricultural aspect,” said Estrabo.

The PUBLiCUS Asia Quorum 2025: Post-SONA briefing was aired on July 29 via Facebook live.