Political Discourse in Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s 2022 and 2025 State of the Nation Addresses

Abstract

Political discourse plays a significant role in shaping how leaders communicate national issues, policies, and governance. However, limited research has examined how speech acts and ideological strategies interact across different points in a presidential administration. This study examines how President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. strategically uses political discourse in his first (2022) and fourth (2025) State of the Nation Addresses (SONAs) to construct ideology and shape public perception. Guided by Speech Act Theory and van Dijk’s Critical Discourse Analysis, particularly the Ideological Square, the study analyzes how illocutionary acts and discourse strategies reinforce leadership legitimacy and governance narratives. Using qualitative content analysis, the official transcripts of the 2022 and 2025 SONAs served as the primary corpus. Findings reveal that assertive speech acts dominate both speeches, emphasizing credibility, authority, and solution-oriented governance. The study also identifies an ideological shift from crisis-responsive and state-centered governance in 2022 toward a more development-oriented and economic-centered discourse in 2025. Through positive self-presentation, minimization of institutional weaknesses, and emphasis on reform and modernization, the speeches construct the administration as capable and responsive to national concerns. Overall, the study highlights how political language functions as a persuasive and ideological tool that shapes public understanding of governance and national development.