“Hindi ako Pangulo ng aking pamilya. Hindi ako Pangulo ng aking kaibigan. Ako ay Pangulo ng Pilipinas.”
That is the very punchline of the State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. this year.
Delivered on Monday, July 27, at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City, he looked back on his address in 2025, where he famously uttered the words: “Mahiya naman kayo.”
That line was regarding the flood control corruption scheme, which would later become the dominating headline for the remainder of the year.
However, among those implicated was his cousin, former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, who has been alleged to have been one of the key figures in the said corruption case.
“Dumating na tayo sa punto na ayon sa Ombudsman ay malapit na ang paghahain ng patong-patong na kaso laban sa dating Speaker,” Marcos said.
PBBM also admitted that he is “hurt” by the imminent filing of raps against his cousin, over the flood control corruption scandal. “Masakit man sa akin ito, ngunit kailangan nating gawin ang tama.“
He also emphasized: “Ako ay pangulo ng Pilipinas at ang tungkulin ko ay sa inyo, ang aking mga kapwa Pilipino.”
Meanwhile, in the same address, Marcos also said that P25 billion has been retrieved or assets that were declared frozen. P800 million has since been returned to the Treasury.
Later in his speech, the President shared that the funds retrieved from the flood control scandal were allotted to programs in education, food, and healthcare.
The President also said that the Sumbong Sa Pangulo website helped in fight against corruption.
In light of the scandal, all public works projects were also reviewed to ensure no overpricing in materials and are properly implemented.
Meanwhile, the President also expressed hope that justice will be brought to the nation through legal means. “Ang gulong ng hustisya ay tumatakbo,” he also said.
