By World BEYOND War Asia Organizer, Jhay de Jesus, July 27, 2026

Statement on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of The Nation Address (SONA) 2026

Philippine President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. delivered his 5th State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 27, 2026. It is also his penultimate SONA as he nears the end of his term in June 2028.

Since the beginning of his term, President Marcos has always relied on the ‘legacies’ of his father, former dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., from agricultural policies to financial programs, while continuing to act as a lapdog of the United States in Asia. In April of this year, the Philippines entered the U.S.-led international coalition called Pax Silica.

Established by the U.S. in December last year, Pax Silica is a coalition to secure AI and semiconductor supply chains. The coalition also includes Israel as one of its signatories along with other nations like Australia, Finland, India, Japan, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.

With the Philippines entering this coalition, the government agreed to open up at least around 4,000 acres for an Economic Security Zone within the Luzon Economic Corridor under a lease intended to last for 99 years. In a press release by the U.S. State Department in April, they called this the “First AI-Native Industrial Acceleration Hub Under Pax Silica.” Apart from very minimal information provided by both governments, the Filipino people once again are blindsided by agreements between the Philippines and the U.S. Additionally, concerns from different sectors continue to arise as reports from existing data centers from other countries, including the U.S., have surfaced. Reports show how communities have lost access to clean water because data centers consume massive amounts for their cooling systems. Another concern arising is the threat of grabbing agricultural lands and ancestral domains of Indigenous people to be converted as sites for these centers. Additionally, these centers would require so much electricity, and communities fear that these would mean putting up more power plants like coal and may even include nuclear plants. The Marcos Jr. administration continues to resurface the plan to reopen the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant and the idea of putting more in other areas as an answer to the ongoing electricity crisis in the country. Also, we have witnessed how these AI technologies have been used by the ongoing war of the U.S. and Israel against Iran and Palestine. This agreement would serve U.S. military interests by hosting infrastructure for the further development of surveillance systems, military technology, and the global arms industry.

A formal binding agreement for the planned artificial intelligence hub in New Clark City is set to be signed in November 2026.

SONA Protest. Led by multisectoral organization, KILUSAN, near the Malacanan Palace early morning, July 27, 2026

Amidst these developments, the Philippines is also actively participating in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2026 happening in Hawaii until July 31, 2026. The Philippines has deployed the Philippine Navy and Coast Guard to take part in these maritime war exercises. Military exercises like RIMPAC inflict widespread harm on local communities. Beyond terrorizing ecosystems with live-fire drills and destroying marine habitats through ship-sinking exercises, these operations disrespect Indigenous sovereignty and cultural heritage while escalating gender-based violence in host communities.

The Philippines, through its various agreements with the U.S., continues to conduct and participate in different joint military exercises such as the Balikatan Exercises and RIMPAC. The country’s military budget continues to grow with a total budget of Php 299 billion, while budgets for basic economic services decrease. Our recent history reminds us of the atrocities of war and militarism. We were witnesses to how unequal these military agreements are especially when it comes to holding U.S. military forces accountable for crimes against our peoples.

President Marcos Jr. will leave a legacy of atrocities as the government continues to serve the U.S.’s interests rather than its own people. We call on the Philippine government to stop being complicit with U.S. imperialist aggression against the rest of the world. It’s time to declare neutrality! It’s time to put the people’s rights and welfare first instead of joining wars.

We call on the Filipino people and other nations to reject Pax Silica!

Reject RIMPAC! Say no to military exercises and military basing in the Philippines!

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