Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. used his fourth State of the Nation Address on Monday to acknowledge voter dissatisfaction reflected in May’s midterm elections and to reset priorities for the second half of his six-year term. Speaking for one hour and 10 minutes, Marcos said the electoral setback showed that “good economic numbers” are meaningless if ordinary Filipinos remain burdened by poverty and corruption. The president’s most concrete directive was an immediate audit of every flood-control project launched or completed nationwide since 2022. Marcos ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways to submit the list for publication so the public can “freely examine” how funds were spent, warning contractors and officials who profited from sub-standard works to “be ashamed.” The pledge comes after weeks of severe flooding that disrupted large parts of the country. Marcos also promised to roll out additional social-welfare programs, accelerate efforts to lower rice prices, and continue the administration’s anti-drug campaign, which he said has led to more than 153,000 arrests, including over 9,000 classified as high-value targets. He vowed to hold accountable those responsible for the disappearance of dozens of cock-fighting bettors and urged greater discipline and cooperation in disaster preparedness. Absent from the address were detailed plans on the recently imposed U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods and other geopolitical issues.