PASAY CITY—The Senate minority bloc fired back at President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) during the July 28 plenary session, demanding transparency and urgent corrections to glaring policy gaps. 

Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, alongside Senators Pia Cayetano and Robinhood Padilla, took the floor to systematically challenge the administration’s upbeat claims on healthcare, infrastructure, and regional development.

Senator Pia Cayetano spearheaded the critique by exposing severe inconsistencies between the President’s rosy healthcare report and the grim reality on the ground. 

Dropping hard data to back her claims, Cayetano revealed that 40 out of 82 provinces still completely lack Department of Health-run hospitals. 

Furthermore, she noted that 346 local government-run hospitals and 864 private facilities continue to ignore the zero-balance billing policy, leaving vulnerable Filipinos with crushing medical debts despite administration promises.

While Cayetano backed specific initiatives such as small business tax exemptions, removing systems loss charges, and expanding social assistance she demanded that the executive branch deliver accurate, uninflated data before the upcoming national budget deliberations. 

She warned that Congress cannot effectively allocate public funds unless agency reports anchor their targets to actual, measurable progress toward the country’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) rather than political rhetoric.

Meanwhile, Senator Robinhood Padilla urged the administration to pivot away from flashy milestone projects and focus on basic, immediate public needs. 

While acknowledging the government's highly publicized plans for a landmark first rocket launch, Padilla argued that building a bullet train from Manila to the Bicol region would serve the public far better. 

He also pressed the administration to grant energy autonomy to far-flung provinces, allowing them to construct independent power plants to finally eliminate persistent electricity shortages.

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