The morning after President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) last Monday, July 27, I decided to look up memorable lines from post-EDSA SONA and inaugural addresses.

The Manila Bulletin’s banner headline was “Marcos: I am not the president of my family.” This was delivered within the first three minutes — and it evoked spontaneous applause from an audience that was not yet sufficiently warmed up for a standing ovation.

The appreciative audience eventually gave the President a standing ovation near the end of his speech when he said: “Hindi kami pasisiil.” This is the vernacular version of these lines: “Ne’er shall invaders trample thy sacred shores.” The Chief Executive seemed confident that his national audience knew what he was talking about, and the live audience affirmed his buoyant spirit.

Also eliciting a rousing applause was his declaration that he will push for an the amendment of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) to stop the electric utility from charging systems losses to already-harassed consumers who are paying among the highest electricity rates in Asia —next to Singapore and Japan.

All throughout the 85-minute speech, Mr. Marcos spoke with consistent resonance, while confidently shifting his gaze steadily across the expanse of the Batasan plenary hall. Let’s walk down memory lane and review highlights of our past leaders’ major speeches.

From his election campaign onwards, former President Rodrigo Duterte vowed an unrelenting war against illegal drugs, warning traffickers to surrender or face severe consequences. In his 2018 SONA, he stated: “Your concern is human rights, mine is human lives.”

Ironically, this may have sent mixed signals to the law enforcers. In March 2025, he was brought to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands. After making repeated appeals for temporary release or transfer to a “neutral country,” he is awaiting the start of formal hearings on Nov. 30, 2026.

I had the opportunity to work closely with President Benigno S. Aquino III.

During his inaugural address on June 30, 2010, he underlined his commitment to serve the people: “Kayo po ang Boss, kayo ang lakas, kayo ang gumagawa ng pagbabago—kaya kayo rin ang magpapatuloy nito (You are my boss. You are my strength. You will ensure the continuity of reforms beyond my administration).”

Another basic governance theme was to stem the tide of graft and corruption that had been the bane of past administrations. He began his campaign by popularizing the slogan, “Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap (If there is no corruption, there will be no poverty).”

His memory is cherished with deeper resonance, as he endeavored to be the carrier of a legacy bequeathed by his parents, former Senator Benigno S, Aquino, Jr. and former President Corazon C. Aquino. In his SONA on July 28, 2014 he declared: “Kung noong simula ay sinabi nating 'The Filipino is worth dying for' o kaya ay 'The Filipino is worth living for,' ngayon naman ay idinaragdag natin sa konkretong gawa: The Filipino is worth fighting for.”

On her first SONA in July 2001, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo popularized the Bangkang Papel (Paper Boat) story to anchor her administration’s anti-poverty and development vision. She featured three young boys from Payatas, Quezon City — Erwin Dolera, Jayson Vann Banogan, and Jomer Pabalan — who, she said had written their personal dreams and hopes on paper, folded them into paper boats, and set them adrift on the Pasig River toward Malacañang Palace. Their wishes: Erwin asked to close the dumpsite, Jayson asked for education, and Jomer asked for a job for his father.

After getting elected on her own in 2004, she declared: “I did not become President to be popular. To work, to lead, to protect and preserve our country, our people, that is why I became President.” She justified making tough decisions, stating: “For a country to be as good as it can get, many of the right decisions are tough decisions.”

“Huwag ninyo akong subukan” was not a formal campaign slogan, but a famous warning from President Joseph Ejercito Estrada during his June 30, 1998 inaugural address. He used the line to promise that no friends or family members could use him for favors or corrupt deals as he took a tough stance against armed insurgents and criminal syndicates.

Ironically, he was impeached for allegedly accepting illegal gambling payoffs. The impeachment proceedings abruptly ended after a dramatic walkout of minority senator-judges that culminated in another EDSA People Power uprising where the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) through their Chief of Staff General Angelo Reyes declared the withdrawal of their allegiance. The Supreme Court declared the presidency vacant, and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo took the oath as president on January 20, 2001.

President Fidel V. Ramos assumed office in 1992, marking the first peaceful transition of power since the declaration of martial law in 1972.

He popularized the thumbs-up sign and the “Yes, we can!” slogan, or “Kaya natin ito” all throughout his presidency.

Felipe Natanio was a Filipino street vendor whose claim to fame was his role, under the pseudonym Mang Pandoy (Mister Pandoy), as “the face of the poor" during the administration of President Ramos who stated:

“Poverty we must learn to regard as another form of tyranny, and we must wage against it the moral equivalent of war.”

President Corazon C. Aquino embarked on a state visit to the United States and made a memorable speech to a joint session of the US Congress on Sept. 19, 1986, at which she said: “As I came to power peacefully, so shall I keep it. That is my contract with my people and my commitment to God. He had willed that the blood drawn with a lash shall not in my country be paid by blood drawn by the sword, but by the tearful joy of reconciliation. We have swept away absolute power by a limited revolution that respected the life and freedom of every Filipino.”

In her last SONA, she called attention to the unfinished task of rebuilding the democratic edifice: “Five years have passed. My term is ending. And so is yours. As we came, so should we go. With grateful acknowledgement to the man who made it possible for us to be here. A man who discovered hope in the starkest despair, and has something yet to teach a country facing adversity again. It would be foolish to ignore what is staring us in the face.”

Indeed, Philippine democracy has come full circle within a 40-year span from 1986 to 2026, from the start of the post-Marcos era to the end-run phase of the Marcos, Jr. administration.

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