BBM’s 5th SONA: Plus-es, Negas and Challenges ahead

Last July 22, I wrote a column entitled “Nakuryente.” I never imagined that barely a week later, electricity would become one of the most applauded issues in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA).

The title “Nakuryente” was inspired by our own experience. At our family’s store in Canaman, our monthly electric bill suddenly jumped from around ₱5,000 to more than ₱14,000, even though the business was not yet operating at full capacity. I remember staring at the bill and asking myself the same question that millions of Filipinos probably ask every month: Why are we paying for so many charges beyond the electricity we actually consume? Generation charge. Transmission charge. Distribution charge. Systems loss. Universal charge. Taxes. VAT. The list seemed endless. I even wondered whether this was still partly the lingering effect of global fuel price volatility brought about by conflicts in the Middle East.

So when President Marcos declared, “Sa aking palagay, panahon na para tanggalin na natin ang systems loss na pinapasa sa consumer,” I could not help but smile. Half-jokingly, I wondered whether someone in Malacañang had read my previous column. Of course, that is unlikely. But it was reassuring to hear the President articulate what ordinary consumers have long been saying.

Under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA), consumers shoulder allowable systems losses, including technical losses and certain non-technical losses arising from electricity theft, faulty meters, and distribution inefficiencies. He called for the amendment of the EPIRA law. It is no surprise that this proposal drew the loudest and longest applause of the SONA.

Because I was attending meetings on the day of the SONA, I watched the entire speech only later that evening. Unlike previous years, I listened from beginning to end—not because I had to, but because I genuinely wanted to know where the country was heading during the remaining two years of this administration. The following day, curiosity got the better of me. I telephoned friends from different political persuasions, including some who had actively supported Leni Robredo and Isko Moreno in 2022. To my surprise, many rated the SONA between eight and ten. They did not necessarily become Marcos supporters overnight. Rather, they appreciated that the speech dealt with problems they themselves confront every day—electricity, floods, healthcare, food prices, and government services.

I found the President’s opening particularly striking. His call to hold accountable officials involved in anomalous flood-control projects resonated with me because Bicolanos know too well what recurring floods mean. His declaration “I am not the president of my family and friends,” a statement that drew a big round of applause became a dramatic moment of the SONA. This was underscored when he mentioned that criminal cases are now being filed in the Ombudsman against his own cousin, the former House Speaker, for the flood control projects.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is, undeniably, the son of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., whose regime remains one of the most controversial periods in Philippine history. However, a son should not automatically bear responsibility for the actions of his father. As one of my friends remarked, “Let us give him the opportunity to be his own man.” Ultimately, he should be judged by his own leadership and governance and be held accountable for this own promises.

I appreciated the commitments to streamline government transactions, improve healthcare, support farmers, strengthen technical-vocational education, modernise infrastructure, and expand digital government services. While he avoided discussing the ongoing ICC proceedings and the Senate impeachment trial, he reminded the nation that he is “President not only of my family and friends, but of the Filipino people.” His announcement about launching the country’s first rocket into space was equally symbolic. It reflected a nation that aspires to harness science and technology—from artificial intelligence to renewable energy, including solar, wind, ocean, geothermal, and even nuclear power—for national development.

Still, every SONA has its plus-es and negas. For me, the biggest nega was not what the President said but what he left unsaid. Industrialisation was never presented as the country’s central economic strategy. Neither was comprehensive land reform. Without a deliberate effort to build stronger Filipino industries, we risk remaining dependent on imports, overseas remittances, and the service sector instead of creating productive jobs and a more self-reliant economy.

The speech ended with Pax Silica, the administration’s flagship AI and advanced manufacturing initiative. Like many Filipinos, I find the vision exciting. Yet I also have questions. Will it genuinely create quality jobs? Can our fragile power grid support massive AI data centres? Will local communities benefit, or will they simply bear the environmental and social costs? Above all, will it become the beginning of genuine Philippine industrialisation, or merely another investment project that looks impressive on paper?

As I finished watching the replay of the SONA that evening, I counted new promises made. Now comes the biggest challenge—turning words into action. As before, let us continue, to be vigilant and remain critically engaged, as citizens who hope that the next electric bill will be lower, the next flood less devastating, and the next generation will inherit a truly self-reliant industrialized Philippines.