In three years of inutile service, President Bongbong Marcos’ fourth State of the Nation Address exhibited nothing but intentional neglect towards addressing the escalating socioeconomic and political crises faced by the Filipino masses. His language and contradicting narratives disguised the daily struggles of millions of Filipinos facing skyrocketing prices, job insecurity, human rights violations, climate disasters, and foreign imperialist aggression. This address stands as yet another manifestation of the regime’s incompetence and negligence to provide legitimate, scientific, and democratic progress that genuinely serves the interests of the people.
ON EDUCATION AND THE YOUTH: STOP THE NEOLIBERAL ATTACKS
The education sector remains a huge problem. Classrooms are dilapidated, learning materials are insufficient, and tuition fees continue to hike. Teachers are exploited and underpaid, and the learning gaps caused by the pandemic remain unsettled.
In the Cordillera region, State Universities and Colleges suffer from chronic underfunding and outdated facilities. More pressingly, numerous reports regarding the limited admission slots due to budget constraints hinders the youth’s access to education. Instead of prioritizing accessible, quality public education, the Marcos administration enables privatization and commercialization. It is also a shame that this administration allocated billions in confidential and intelligence funds to his office and to Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte. The president’s silence on these issues reveals not only neglect, but a self-serving choice to oppress the youth sector in favor of profit-driven development.
This is a blatant crackdown to the millions of students and teachers who are constantly denied the resources they need. Public education is in decline, and access to tertiary education is increasingly becoming a privilege rather than a right. Education must be a democratic right, not a weapon for militarization or profiteering.
ON HUMAN RIGHTS: JUNK TRUMPED-UP CHARGES AGAINST CORDILLERAN ACTIVISTS
Instead of creating safe spaces for meaningful dissent and democratic participation, the Marcos regime has intensified its attacks on civil and constitutional rights. In the Cordillera, the state continues to vilify and demonize activists through relentless red-tagging, terrorist designations, intimidation, and harassment. In fact, four CPA leaders remain unjustly labeled as terrorists, development workers face false terrorism financing charges, while labor organizer Manong Mike Cabangon of KMU-Cordillera faces fabricated, trumped-up terrorism financing charges.
Nationally, at least 73 human rights defenders have been targeted under the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act (10 from Northern Luzon alone). These state-sponsored attacks are built to silence national democratic movements for land, life, and justice.
WAGE JUSTICE AND WORKERS’ RIGHTS: THE FIGHT FOR ₱1,200 LIVING WAGE
While Marcos hails supposed economic growth, millions of Filipino workers remain mired in poverty wages, precarious employment, and contractualization. The ₱470 minimum wage in the Cordilera region remains far below the cost of living, with inflation eroding its value even further. The proposed ₱200 wage hike that could have provided immediate relief has been indefinitely shelved. Kabataan joins the labor movement in pushing for a ₱1,200 living wage, an amount that is economically viable and socially just.
According to 2024 data, medium and large enterprises can provide living wages for just ₱2.4 billion, pennies compared to their ₱1.5 trillion total income; while the government only needs ₱1.7 billion in subsidies for small and micro-enterprises.
ON ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION IN THE CORDILLERA: NO TOT CORPORATE PLUNDER AND GREED
The Marcos administration continues to enable destructive and anti-people projects that exacerbate the ancestral domains and natural resources of the Cordillerans. Under the “Build Better More” agenda, large-scale mining operations and energy projects are often pushed without free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC), leading to massive deforestation, displacement, and pollution. These ventures are carried out without proper consultation and with devastating impacts on ancestral lands. Under the guise of development, many Indigenous Peoples are being displaced, sacred spaces are destroyed, and ecological systems are disrupted, serving multinational and transnational corporations and foreign business investors at the expense of people and the planet.
US IMPERIALISM AND EDCA: WE ARE NOT FOR SALE
Marcos Jr. has not only surrendered the economy to foreign powers, but also the country’s territorial sovereignty. His recent meeting with Trump further cements his commitment to U.S. imperialism – coming home with trade “deals” that are not beneficial to the Filipino people. Through expanded EDCA sites and joint military exercises like Balikatan, the Philippines is becoming a staging ground for US military aggression in Asia.
In 2025, the US allotted $125 million for 36 new EDCA-related projects. Worse, there are now at least eight unofficial EDCA sites used to store arms and deploy troops, including Typhon missile systems in Laoag, Ilocos Norte. These militarized zones place the country directly in the crosshairs of geopolitical conflict, threatening communities and dragging Filipinos into wars not of their own making. The so-called “humanitarian” role of US troops is a smokescreen for imperialist control.
CORRUPTION, CALAMITIES, AND CLIMATE NEGLIGENCE
At a time when the country reels from consecutive disasters and climate crises, the Marcos administration has failed to act decisively. From 2023 to mid-2025, typhoons and monsoons displaced over a million Filipinos, damaged thousands of homes, and devastated billions worth of crops and infrastructure. Yet disaster preparedness and climate adaptation remain severely underfunded. Instead, the government prioritizes billions in pork-barrel-style confidential funds: ₱4.61 billion for the Office of the President, ₱650 million for Sara Duterte, and ₱8.64 billion for the NTF-ELCAC’s barangay development program. Marcos also refuses to return the Marcoses’ ill-gotten wealth, while claiming to “clean” his Cabinet — a display of sham accountability.
ON SARA DUTERTE’S IMPEACHMENT AND DUTERTE ACCOUNTABILITY: MARCOS, SINGILIN! SARA, LITISIN!
We immediately call for the impeachment and conviction of Vice President and DepEd Secretary Sara Duterte over allegations of corruption, misuse of funds, and neglect of educational priorities. Despite the numerous hurdles the impeachment process faces, the people’s call remains clear: hold Sara Duterte accountable! The Duterte family’s authoritative and draconian governance must be toppled down through the collective resistance and struggle of the broad sectors of Filipino society.
THE YOUTH’S CALL: AROUSE, ORGANIZE, AND MOBILIZE!
Kabataan Partylist – Cordillera repudiates the illusion of a “Bagong Pilipinas” that only heightens the exploitation, repression, and foreign subservience of our people. The Marcos regime does not represent the future. It is a continuation of a failed and oppressive past.
Given the myriad of crises the Filipino youth and people experience, we are in an opportune moment to arouse, organize, and mobilize for a truly just, humane, and sovereign society. When Marcos Jr., his cronies, and the ruling factions are in heightened disarray, we must unite and collectively act towards the call of the Filipino people. Now, more than ever, Kabataan Partylist – Cordillera remains true to its principles and commitment to hold Bongbong Marcos’ administration liable and accountable for its negligence and incompetence toward the Filipino masses.
