28/07/2025
NO FANFARE, JUST FOCUS: MARCOS SETS ‘BAGONG PILIPINAS’ IN MOTION AS ASENSO MISAMIS BLOC SHOWS POLITICAL UNITY AT 4TH SONA
via Bhal Abad Cabrera | July 28, 2025
QUEZON CITY, Philippines — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. took the stage for his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) with a clear pitch: Bagong Pilipinas is not just a branding exercise—it’s a national direction defined by governance reforms, economic resilience, and inclusive development.
But beyond the national blueprint he presented at the House of Representatives, political dynamics quietly played out in the gallery.
Fully present and aligned behind the President’s message was the powerhouse delegation of Misamis Occidental: Governor Henry S. Oaminal, 1st District Representative, Congressman Jason Paredes Almonte, 2nd District Representative, Congressman Ando Oaminal, and Asenso Pinoy Party-list Representative, Congressman Indy Oaminal. Their attendance was more than symbolic—it was a visual endorsement of Marcos’ reform agenda and a signal of how local leadership, particularly the Asenso bloc, intends to mirror and magnify national policy at the ground level.
The President spent over an hour highlighting what the administration claims as its strongest pillars of progress—streamlined digital governance, aggressive defense modernization, calibrated infrastructure development, and expanded safety nets for the country’s most vulnerable.
Absent in the speech were quotable one-liners or populist theatrics. What took center stage instead were metrics, policy timelines, and inter-agency synergy. Observers noted a speech more technical than rhetorical, designed to address both legislators and technocrats.
But for the Asenso-aligned leaders of Misamis Occidental, the message was already long embedded in their local framework. The province has been pushing parallel efforts—digitization of public services, intensified peace and order operations, agriculture modernization, and livelihood expansion—well ahead of national rollouts.
The President’s emphasis on localized development and grassroots ex*****on echoed what the Oaminals have consistently branded as “public service with measurable impact.” The Misamis Occidental model, under the Asenso brand, has often been cited for its LGU-national government alignment.
While some critics view the Bagong Pilipinas narrative as an abstract ideal, its resonance in places like Misamis Occidental reflects what it could look like when translated into tangible governance.
What the SONA lacked in political heat, it made up for in administrative clarity. And for local leaders like those in the Asenso bloc, it was a reaffirmation that they are already moving in sync with the rhythm of national transformation.
