When he delivered his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Bongbong Marcos Jr. made certain bold statements that we did not expect. In so doing, the President transformed his SONA into a memorable, courageous conversation with a nation reeling under the effects of recent natural calamities exacerbated by human mistakes.

Given the unexpected courage shown in his words, the President deserved both the thunderous applause after his speech and the renewed respect of his countrymen for the Leader of the Nation.

What made the speech “courageous” were the President’s admissions. He admitted things that leaders made of lesser stuff would not. In his speech, he made bold admissions about three glaring realities: first, that the country is going through a “collective disappointment” brought about by the performance of certain government agencies; second, that the “economic gains” of the country do not mean much in the face of the public’s collective disappointment; and third, that certain agencies and private sector players may have contributed to the national government’s failure to meet public expectations.

We say these are bold statements from the President because admissions of this sort are not usual. What is “usual” is for speechwriters to sweep failures and gaps under the rug, or at least sugar-coat them or pass the blame to a real or imagined nemesis.

The President did not.

He directly and unequivocally declared that the national government had failed the public. “Bigo at dismayado ang ating mga kababayan” (our countrymen are disappointed and dismayed), he said. He admitted that, to a disappointed public, the gains on the economic front are nothing more than “palamuti” (decoration or cosmetic), and “walang saysay” (useless).

He had the courage to say that the public must openly question and scrutinize what appears to be the failure of flood control projects implemented by national agencies. He said he had ordered a thorough investigation of these projects and the reports published. What made his statement truly bold was the fact that the investigation he had ordered will cover flood control projects implemented and funded by taxpayer money “in the past three years.” This means he is referring to flood control projects implemented under his watch.

This is courageous leadership. The President intends to hold accountable the very persons he himself had tasked to ensure that flooding woes are alleviated and solved.

The bravest moment in the 2025 SONA came when the President boldly bared the existence of unscrupulous transactions in the implementation of infrastructure projects, particularly those pertaining to flood control measures.

Courageously, he enumerated the forms of such transactions. Then, he dropped a bombshell: he called on those involved to “be ashamed” of their deeds. “Mahiya naman kayo,” he pointedly told those who were present, those who were listening and watching, and those to whom those words were directly addressed.

He promised that appropriate charges would be filed against them based on the reports.

The President had every right to do so. After all, he himself had already expressed his personal embarrassment over the national government’s inability to fully meet the expectations of his constituents. He was not only courageous; he was humility personified. He had earned the right to point his accusing finger at them. Only the humble can call out those who hide their misdeeds under the cloak of arrogance.

He called out the public, too. Those whom he described as “bigo at dismayado” are supposed to share in the responsibility of addressing the flooding problem and to contribute to the solution. He asked for their help and cooperation. Without saying so, he called out the “lack of discipline” in how people dispose of their garbage, and their propensity to listen to and believe fake news.

Those who felt alluded to cannot fault the President for calling them out. The President had admitted the failure of national agencies concerned; the public must make its own admission regarding its contribution to the flooding problem.

Toward the end of his address, the President said he had learned his lessons.

Again, this statement is both courageous and humble. It takes courage to admit that one is still in the process of acquiring knowledge. It takes character for one who governs to admit that the lessons were taught to him by the governed.

We take our hats off to the President.

Some observers say he failed to mention other crucial issues: the West Philippine Sea; the US-imposed tariff and open market; the plight of overseas workers; and the aspirations of local government units.

We noticed that, too. We wish the President had included them in his address.

Our view is that he opted to make his fourth SONA a conversation with his countrymen.

He wanted that conversation to be heartfelt. Frank. Candid. Real talk.

We call it courageous. We hope there will be more.