Marcos state address set amid graft scandal and Duterte impeachment trial

Manila,UPDATED: Jul 27, 2026 14:04 IST

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will deliver his annual state of the nation address on Monday against the backdrop of a major corruption scandal, the impeachment trial of his estranged vice president, and the global economic fallout from the resurgent war in Iran.

Marcos is expected to use the speech to outline new programmes to soften the impact of renewed hostilities in the Middle East. Ahead of the address, security was tightened around the House of Representatives, with more than 23,000 police personnel deployed and key roads to the presidential palace in Manila barricaded with barbed wire and riot police to deter protesters.

Security concerns rose further after a small homemade bomb exploded before dawn near the gate of the Department of Justice in Manila. There were no injuries or major damage. Separately, bomb parts were found near the Senate in suburban Pasay city. police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. told reporters they had not been assembled and were apparently aimed "only to sow terror or fear".

In March, Marcos declared a year-long national energy emergency as the war in the Middle East intensified, with the aim of ensuring adequate supplies of fuel, food and agricultural products and preventing hoarding.

In last year's state of the nation speech, Marcos spoke out against widespread corruption in flood-control projects as the Philippines struggled to recover from deadly flooding and landslides that killed dozens of villagers and displaced more than 200,000 people. Separate government and congressional investigations later implicated dozens of House and Senate members, along with public works engineers and officials, who allegedly pocketed huge kickbacks from the projects. Their lavish lifestyles, including fleets of private jets and European cars, sparked public anger and protests.

A current and a former member of the 24-member Senate have been indicted and detained over large-scale corruption linked to the anomalies. A former House member who is considered a leading suspect fled to Europe. Former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan, who served under Marcos, has denied wrongdoing but has also been indicted and is in hospital detention.

Many people have called for the quick prosecution of more influential legislators. Critics have asked why former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, the president's cousin and key ally, has not been charged. Romualdez has denied wrongdoing. Marcos has said even his allies will be jailed if there is evidence. "We have done enough because we're not done yet," Marcos said. "Unfortunately, the more we look, the more we find."

The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, once an ally of Marcos, is also underway over charges that include corruption and threatening the president. Marcos's address on Monday comes as his administration faces pressure on several fronts, from the corruption probe and the Duterte case to the economic strain caused by the conflict in the Middle East.

With PTI Inputs

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