President Marcos Jr.’s started off his fifth, penultimate State of the Nation Address (SONA) strong by addressing the corruption issues hounding his administration head-on, starting with his own cousin and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez,  Stratbase Institute President and BowerGroupAsia managing director Prof. Victor “Andres” Manhit said in an interview with Singaporean broadcast channel CNA. 

In so doing, Prof. Manhit said, the President aimed to convey the idea that “nobody will be spared from his attempt to make people accountable on this biggest corruption scandal that rocked his administration.” 

At the same time, his one hour, thirty-minute SONA addressed the three top concers of Filipinos: corruption, rising costs of living, and job creation.  

“Can this really be translated, these programs, these interventions, to be actually responsive to what people feel?” Manhit said. “The challenge is in the last two years of the President to really come out strong and address these issues, build a legacy.” 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWq5kBlakcQ