Senator Joel Villanueva said Filipinos expect this year’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) to go beyond promises and present a clear roadmap that delivers quality jobs, better education, and relief from hunger.
“This year’s SONA must answer the questions that matter most to ordinary Filipinos: Where are the jobs? How will families put food on the table? How will we reduce poverty? How do we give our children a better future through education?” Villanueva said.
The senator said Filipinos continue to grapple with rising costs and economic uncertainty, and are pinning their hopes on the government.
As of May 2026, unemployment rate increased to 4.8%, or an equivalent 2.5 million jobless Filipinos.
Underemployment rate, meanwhile, is at 12.2%, or 6.04 million Filipinos who seek more hours of work or an extra job.
Hunger incidence, according to the March 2026 Social Weather Stations survey is at 23.2%, higher than the November 2025’s 20.1%.
Inflation is at 6.4% in June 2026, way higher compared to 1.4% in June 2025.
As for education, old challenges continue to hound the sector such as low literacy rate, lack of classrooms, and low Math and reading proficiency, among others.
Recent shooting incidents and violence in schools have also become a serious issue being addressed by education officials.
“Real challenges call for real action. The nation’s biggest problems can’t wait,” Villanueva said.
“The best anti-poverty program is a decent job. The best way to fight hunger is to ensure that every Filipino who wants to work has access to job opportunities,” he added.
Villanueva said he has remained focused on his legislative duties and has steered the passage of several landmark legislation to improve the education system and workforce conditions.
Among these are:
-RA 12124 or the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program, which provides the pathway for a college degree through work experience.
-RA 12063 of the Enterprise-Based Education and Training, which harmonizes actual technical-vocational education with actual industry demands.
-RA 11962 or Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act, which envisions a 10-year masterplan to boost job creation, improve worker skills, and support micro, small and medium enterprises.
The President has also recently signed into law bills authored and sponsored by Villanueva, namely, RA 12313 or the Lifelong Learning Development Framework Act, RA 12315 or the Law Extending the duration of EDCOM II, and RA 12321 or the Last Mile and GIDA Schools Act.
“We continue to support the priority legislation identified by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council and will push for their passage,” Villanueva said.
“At the end of the day, the measure of any SONA is simple: Will it bring more jobs, put food on the table, and give every Filipino child a better future?” Villanueva concluded.
