As President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. prepares to deliver his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 28, the political air thickens, not just with speculation, but with urgency. His SONA will usher in the last three years of his six-year term, a period that will define whether his presidency can move beyond rhetoric and recalibrate its course toward reform, resilience, and real leadership.
The honeymoon period is over, the cabinet carousel continues, and the economy walks a tightrope between strength and strain. The question that now looms: what’s next? What should the Marcos administration prioritize in its final years, not just to survive, but to leave behind a credible legacy?
1. Reclaiming Narrative, Rebuilding Credibility
The departure of four Secretaries of the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) in less than three years has left the administration’s messaging fragmented. The President must now focus on reclaiming narrative control. He needs a strategic, stable, and credible communications team, not just content producers but reputation stewards. This team should unify messaging across agencies, clarify policy intentions, and build public trust through transparency, consistency, and accessibility.
In an age of disinformation, silence is no longer golden; it’s dangerous. The President must lead the narrative, not trail it.
2. Infrastructure With Integrity
The “Build Better More” program must not become a catchphrase for unfinished projects or opaque funding deals. With the growing influence of China, questions of sovereignty and debt sustainability haunt every bilateral infrastructure agreement. Marcos must accelerate high-impact projects, especially those in agriculture, transport, and digital infrastructure, while ensuring full disclosure of terms and timelines. This is where the private sector can come in, if trust is reestablished through proper oversight and adherence to procurement standards.
Public-private partnerships must not become public-risk, private-reward schemes. Credible infrastructure is the cornerstone of long-term economic competitiveness and a powerful political statement.
3. Agricultural Reform Beyond Symbolism
Now under a full-time Secretary, the Department of Agriculture must shift from reactive subsidy distribution to long-term food systems reform. The President’s challenge is to fully empower the new leadership while aligning agriculture with climate resilience, value-chain development, and market integration. His administration must support initiatives that move farmers from survival to sustainability, from production to profit.
Without structural reform in land use, logistics, and financing, food insecurity will remain a chronic national weakness and a political liability.
4. Foreign Policy Reset: Strategic, Not Submissive
While the administration has gained favor with Western allies, it now faces intensifying pressure from China, especially in the West Philippine Sea. The next three years require firm, principled diplomacy, not a pendulum swing between appeasement and provocation. Marcos must craft a cohesive, independent foreign policy rooted in national interest, not nostalgia or fear. This means strengthening regional alliances (particularly ASEAN), leveraging multilateral forums, and investing in maritime security, not just rhetoric.
He must make it clear: the Philippines is not a pawn, but a player.
5. Political Succession and the Dutertes
The rift between Marcos and the Duterte camp is no longer a whisper. It’s an open wound. As the 2028 elections approach, both camps are maneuvering. The President must decide: will he consolidate power through coalition-building, or escalate the divide and risk fragmentation? He cannot afford a divided administration while facing global headwinds and local discontent.
The impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte will be the ultimate litmus test. How the Palace handles it will signal the true nature of this administration, whether it seeks stability through unity or political dominance through elimination.
6. Justice, Accountability, and Institutional Reform
If Marcos Jr. truly wants to break away from the shadow of authoritarian nostalgia, he must tackle the long-standing deficits in justice and institutional accountability. This means strengthening the independence of the judiciary, fast-tracking long-delayed anti-corruption cases, and restoring public confidence in agencies like the Commission on Audit, the Ombudsman, and the Civil Service Commission. A genuine push for justice sector reform, including digitalization of court processes, protection of whistleblowers, and fair enforcement of laws, can set a tone of real governance maturity.
He must demonstrate that accountability applies not just to the opposition or the poor—but across all levels, including allies.
The Legacy Play
Marcos Jr. was not expected to win. But he did. He was not expected to be a reformist. But he still can be. The next three years are no longer about proving legitimacy. They are about proving leadership.
The Marcos name carries weight, history, controversy, and expectation. Whether he ends his term as a transitional figure or a transformative one will depend not on what he says in State of the Nation Addresses, but on what he builds, defends, reforms, and empowers in the everyday governance of a fragile republic.
It is not too late to write a different ending. But time is no longer an ally.
