Official statement on the 2026 State of the Nation Address
The Philippines as a nation is in its worst state since the days of the COVID-19 pandemic, a country that has been constantly in crisis mode – including on climate and the environment.
As President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers this year’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) and four years after naming climate action as a priority of his administration, we criticize his failure to live up to his promises as reflected in the government’s actions – or lack of outcomes – in the past 12 months.
After pledging from last year’s SONA for a swift and decisive execution of justice against everyone involved in the massive corruption in mismanaged flood control projects, his initiative has very little to show for it – billions of taxpayers’ money unrecovered and suspected individuals still on the run. Meanwhile, millions of Filipinos remain susceptible to extreme flooding.
The government still subscribes to an unhealthy diet of traditional gray infrastructure projects, favoring corporate interests over the well-being of communities. What makes this worse is that many of these road and bridge projects are incorrectly-tagged as climate solutions, as they have little to no contribution to reducing emissions or adapting to climate impacts, and would actually end up harming ecosystems and communities.
We also criticize his administration’s refusal to fully commit to transitioning away from fossil fuels – from the climate negotiations to the domestic level. Despite the first six months of 2026 reminding us of the impacts of continued dependence on dirty energy on our economy and society, the course of action has been performative at best – bold statements and legislative inquiries that went nowhere.
Despite these warning signs and precautionary tales, the BBM administration refuses to learn lessons of the recent past and keeps implementing technocratic, bureaucratic, and elitist practices that are blind to realities on the ground.
Our water resources are close to bankruptcy. Our farming and fisheries sectors remain among the poorest in the country. Our forests are either being cut down or left prone to natural hazards or corporate interests. Our minerals continue to benefit foreign companies and harm nearby communities, some of whom are being threatened for simply defending their homes. Our lands and waters are being polluted by spills of oil, chemicals, and mountains of solid waste. Our environmental defenders continue to be harassed, if not attacked with impunity.
Our country’s climate plans have been following “Filipino time”, having been delayed multiple times because a few government agencies are too scared and unambitious to live up to the scale of urgency and impact required for actions against the climate crisis.
As our country potentially faces the impacts of a peak Super El Niño and super-typhoons – both in the same quarter of the year, we remember with caution that the President stated in his statement last year that because situations like this are to be expected, they do not count as an emergency.
We strongly disagree. This situation is exactly why this government must treat it as an emergency.
We challenge the President to have a stronger finish to his term on the climate agenda. As a nation, we must commit to permanently transitioning away from fossil fuels towards a future more powered by renewable energy, avoiding distractions. We must ensure that the part of the national budget tagged for climate solutions actually goes to actions that enhance adaptation, reduce climate pollution, and address losses and damages – especially with a potential season of “super-disasters”.
We demand for this administration to finalize the updated national climate plans – especially our Nationally Determined Contribution and the Just Transition Framework – to ensure our strategies are up-to-date that national and local actors can follow.
We also demand for this Presidency to reflect, in both words and actions, the need for protection and conservation of our ecosystems and natural resources, prioritizing the economic and social well-being of communities over private and political interests, and to protect the rights of its people against all threats – natural or anthropogenic, foreign or domestic.
No to lopsided pacts. No to development aggression. No to false concepts of development – especially at the expense of the climate, environment, and people.
Climate action speaks louder than words.