Western Visayas youth groups give Marcos failing grade

By Juliane Judilla

Youth and student organizations in Western Visayas staged the 2026 State of the Youth Address, billed as “SOYA over SOYA,” on Saturday, July 18, to criticize the Marcos administration’s education policies and youth programs ahead of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fifth State of the Nation Address.

The groups also called for increased government investment in education and student welfare.

Led by the Western Visayas Youth and Students Alliance and Kabataan Party-list Panay, the groups said conditions in the country’s education sector continue to worsen because of budget cuts, the rising cost of living, and what they described as campus militarization.

The groups alleged that the government has prioritized spending on intelligence and counterinsurgency programs over education, leaving public schools and state universities with inadequate classrooms, facilities, and other resources.

They also said teachers remain underpaid despite their growing responsibilities.

The organizations criticized the K–12 program, saying it has failed to guarantee meaningful employment for students after graduation.

Participants also opposed proposals to restore mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, or ROTC, and criticized the continued presence of state agents on campuses.

They said these measures reflected the government’s preference for surveillance and militarization over addressing student welfare concerns.

The organizations renewed their criticism of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, accusing the agency of red-tagging youth organizations and student activists.

They cited alleged red-tagging incidents, including forums held at universities.

During the program, speakers called for the abolition of the K–12 program, a moratorium on tuition and other fee increases, increased funding for state universities and colleges, better salaries and benefits for teachers, and stronger protections for students’ rights.

The groups urged the government to redirect public funds toward education and social services.

They said government investments should focus on improving school infrastructure, expanding educational subsidies, and addressing the needs of Filipino students instead of financing what they described as corruption, propaganda, and militarization.

At the end of the program, participants symbolically gave the Marcos administration a failing grade for what they described as its continued neglect of the education sector and the youth.

Marcos is scheduled to deliver his fifth and penultimate SONA on July 27 at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City.

The organizations also called on students and other sectors to join the People’s SONA protest scheduled for July 27.