Philippine Leader's Address Aims to Restore Trust Amid Scandal
WHO:
ABC News - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
ABC News - Vice President Sara Duterte, estranged from Marcos
ABC News - National police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr.
ABC News - Former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan
ABC News - Former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, cousin of Marcos
WHAT:
ABC News - Marcos is expected to outline new programs to mitigate the impact of the renewed hostilities in the Middle East during his speech.
ABC News - A leading suspect and former House member has fled to Europe.
ABC News - Former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan is in hospital detention.
ABC News - Critics have asked why former House Speaker Martin Romualdez has not been charged despite being a leading suspect.
ABC News - Marcos will deliver his annual state of the nation speech.
ABC News - Over 23,000 police were deployed to secure the House of Representatives.
ABC News - A small homemade bomb exploded near the Department of Justice, causing no injuries.
ABC News - Bomb parts were found near the Senate, aimed to "sow terror or fear."
ABC News - Marcos declared a yearlong national energy emergency in March.
ABC News - Investigations implicated dozens of House and Senate members in corruption.
ABC News - A current and a former member of the Senate have been indicted for largescale corruption.
ABC News - Marcos stated, “We have done enough because we’re not done yet.”
WHERE:
ABC News - House of Representatives in Quezon City, Philippines
ABC News - Department of Justice in Manila, Philippines
ABC News - Senate in Pasay City, Philippines
ABC News - Presidential palace in Manila, Philippines
WHEN:
ABC News - Marcos's speech is scheduled for Monday.
ABC News - His six-year term ends in mid-2028.
ABC News - The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte is currently underway.
WHY:
ABC News - The corruption scandal has sparked public outrage and protests due to the lavish lifestyles of implicated officials, including fleets of private jets and European cars.
ABC News - The speech aims to restore trust amid a major corruption scandal.
ABC News - The corruption scandal involves key allies of Marcos and has led to public outrage.
ABC News - The national energy emergency was declared to ensure adequate supply amid global economic fallout from a war in Iran.
HOW:
ABC News - Security measures included barricading key roads to the presidential palace with barbed wire and deploying riot police to deter protesters.
ABC News - Security measures included barricading key roads with barbed wire and deploying riot police.
ABC News - Investigations into corruption involved government and congressional inquiries.
(UPDATED July 27, 2026 12:04 UTC)
President Marcos is set to outline new programs aimed at mitigating the impact of renewed hostilities in the Middle East during his upcoming speech. Meanwhile, a leading suspect in a corruption scandal, who is also a former House member, has fled to Europe, while former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan remains in hospital detention. Critics are questioning why former House Speaker Martin Romualdez has not faced charges, as public outrage continues to grow over the lavish lifestyles of implicated officials, prompting heightened security measures around the presidential palace.
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(UPDATED July 27, 2026 10:14 UTC)
Philippine President Marcos is set to deliver his annual state of the nation speech on Monday, aiming to restore trust amid a significant corruption scandal that has implicated key allies and sparked public outrage. Over 23,000 police have been deployed to secure the House of Representatives, where the speech will take place, following a small homemade bomb explosion near the Department of Justice and the discovery of bomb parts near the Senate. Marcos has declared a yearlong national energy emergency to ensure adequate supply amid global economic fallout from a war in Iran, stating, “We have done enough because we’re not done yet.”