As President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivered his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 24, Filipinos took to social media to share their thoughts on the chief executive’s performance report.

This led to #SONA2023, along with SONA-related topics, topping Twitter trends in the Philippines.

Days before the SONA, Filipinos online expressed their concerns on inflation in the country, among other top issues.

Here are some reactions and thoughts from netizens on SONA day.

Prices of goods

In his 2023 SONA, Marcos took pride in what he claimed to be a decrease in prices of basic goods in the country thanks to his Kadiwa stores, a project of the Department of Agriculture which Marcos leads as concurrent secretary.

Filipinos online were quick to disagree. “Nasaang bansa ka ba (What country are you in)?” one netizen quipped.

"Nakita natin ang pagbaba ng presyo ng mga bilihin." Jusko, saan ang pagbaba, sa baba ni sis? #SONA2023

— Jerry B. Grácio (@JerryGracio) July 24, 2023

May nakikita ka ata na hindi nakikita ng mga Pilipino. Nasaang bansa ka ba? Charot! #SONA2023 pic.twitter.com/nMYrUURfno

— Charot! (@IamCharotism) July 24, 2023

lol checked in on SONA and the first thing I hear is bumaba daw presyo ng bilihin…?????????

Gurl…don’t gaslight us

— Dan 🩵 (@danglmn) July 24, 2023

Meanwhile, some said the Kadiwa project is not sustainable and accessible.

“They do not pass the standard for price monitoring, because they are an irregular facility, and [do] not resolve the inflation crisis for all Filipinos,” said University of the Philippines statistician Peter Cayton.

Kadiwa stores are not accessible for the general population at any time, and supplies often run out.

They do not pass the standard for price monitoring, because they are an irregular facility, and does not resolve the inflation crisis for all Filipinos. https://t.co/JYKmi1zWe7

— Peter Cayton, the Stats Guy (@PJACaytonPhD) July 24, 2023

Kadiwa na lang ba ang end goal at priority? Paano yung walang access dito? Masyadong limited sa iilang tao lang. Paano ang karamihan na sambayanan. Nganga n lang?

— Pinkyswear⁷ 💜 (@pinkysweararmy) July 24, 2023

Corruption

As he shared his plan to accept the resignations of “unscrupulous law enforcers and others involved in the highly nefarious drug trade,” Marcos said, “We cannot tolerate corruption or incompetence in government.”

Netizens pointed out the irony of his statement.

“we cannot tolerate corruption or incompetence in the government”

coming from you, sir! #SONA2023

— saaaab ⭐ (@urboysaaab) July 24, 2023

Wait. Marcos, corruption, incompetence all in 1 tweet? 😂😂😂 https://t.co/0JqGGpssfO

— jam 🥢| Yoongi's silky suit⁷아포방포 (@yoongisilkysuit) July 24, 2023

Critics of the Maharlika Investment Fund Act, which Marcos signed into law days before SONA, said the fund has a poorly designed governance structure that could open the floodgates to political interference and corruption.

Lawyer Chel Diokno said funds for the Maharlika could have been channeled to thenprograms Marcos mentioned in his speech.

Glad na nabanggit yung stunting at wasting. Big problem for our kids and our country. Yung perang ilalagay nila sa "Maharlika Investment Fund" would find better use addressing this problem and uplifting the lives of our farmers, fisherfolk and other basic sectors.

— Chel Diokno (@ChelDiokno) July 24, 2023

Many Filipinos have also criticized the recent rebranding efforts of various government agencies, particularly those of the Department of Tourism and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor), questioning the budget of each project with respect to the outputs produced.

Women and the LGBTQ+

A few netizens noticed that Marcos failed to tackle issues for women and the LGBTQ+ community – something that was also observed in his first SONA.

“Women, girls, and the LGBTQIA+ community are continually being threatened yet they still do not get attention from the government. This is unacceptable,” wrote sociologist Ash Presto.

This is unacceptable.

Literally, gender equality has been one of the main casualties of the previous administration. A concerned government now will thus ensure that gender equality gets prioritized, especially with the accompanying economic development etc that equality brings.

— Ash Presto 💜 (@sosyolohija) July 24, 2023

“THE SONA IS SOUND AND IMPROVING IN YOUR END.”

But there's still no mention of gender-related policies. Women, and the LGBTQIA+ Community are still being threatened and yet still the government continues to ignore it. #SONA2023

— ag7 is coming | stream 'yes and' (@jstvwvk) July 24, 2023

The SOGIE equality bill continues to languish in Congress.

Meanwhile, women’s rights advocates have urged Marcos to advance women’s rights through concrete programs and orders.

Speech delivery

There were those who said Marcos’ speech was no-nonsense and straightforward, even comparing it the SONA of his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte.

#SONA2023 is a no nonsense business like speech

Can't believe we got a Wang Wang speech before.

— Michael (@Michael550265) July 24, 2023

SONA reaction

What I appreciate about this SONA is his candor and openness. No skirting around just straight to the point. PBBM SONA discusses extensively the economy w/c is our utmost concern. President Marcos Jr. SONA has a clear vision of what awaits in the future. #SONA2023

— Mr.Winwin_Situation (@Winwineklabu) July 24, 2023

Others also noticed that Marcos used more of the Filipino language in this year’s SONA. In the 2022 SONA, Filipinos online criticized how “technical” Marcos’ speech sounded, saying that the speech can be hard to understand for most.

Notice too that the President is delivering most of his #SONA2023 in Filipino — apparently to send his message across to a larger population. This is in contrast to his first SONA and his inaugural address before that last year.

— Miss Go (@miriamgracego) July 24, 2023

However, while Marcos’ SONA sounded “refreshing,” former Bayan Muna representative Teddy Casiño noted that it mentioned “all the right things and [avoided] all the contentious things.”

“It was a speech that glossed over our problems, bloated his accomplishments, and promised the moon and stars,” he added.

After six years of Duterte trash talk, this speech sounds kinda refreshing. BUT it’s a SONA that says all the right things and avoids all the contentious things. Pang pulitiko – puro pangako, puro magaganda at umiiwas sa mga mapapait na reyalidad.

— Teddy Casiño (@teddycasino) July 24, 2023

As Marcos wrapped up his speech, he said, “Dumating na ang bagong Pilipinas (The new Philippines has arrived).” This prompted several netizens to lament the opposite – that the problems of the country continue to persist today.

"Dumating na po ang bagong Pilipinas."

Nope. Same political families ruling for 50-100 years, same problems haunting the country for 50-100 years, and there were no concrete actions mentioned to resolve socioeconomic issues.

Walang bagong Pilipinas.

— Jecon Dreisbach (jecondraysbak.bsky.social) (@jecondraysbak) July 24, 2023

"Dumating na po ang bagong Pilipinas."

"Bagong Pilipinas" is literally a rehash of the old Marcos' "Bagong Lipunan." The same political families crowd the Senate and the Congress. Landlords and bourgeois compradors still rule over the economy. Nothing new.#SONAngBayan2023

— Mon #FreePalestine #DownWithUSImperialism (@YearoftheMonSy) July 24, 2023

Marcos Jr's second SONA failed to tackle much-needed strategic solutions to long-standing socio-economic problems and put absolute faith in discredited, obsolete PDP.

Bagong Pilipinas para kanino? #SONA2023 #FactsFirstPH #MalalangEkonomiya #MayMagagawa

— IBON Foundation (@IBONFoundation) July 24, 2023

What are your thoughts on Marcos’ second SONA? Share it with us on social media @rapplerdotcom.

Follow Rappler’s coverage of SONA 2023 here. — with reports from Vixey Lema and Bonnie White/Rappler.com