“This is the Real State of the Nation”: Greenpeace Dares President Marcos to Make Climate Polluters Pay

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

As waist-deep floods once again drowned communities across the Philippines, a haunting image emerged from Cainta, Rizal—a soaked cardboard effigy of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. floating in brown floodwater, hemmed in by bold banners declaring: “This is the State of the Nation” and “Make Climate Polluters Pay.” It wasn’t just a protest. It was a wake-up call.

Just days before President Marcos delivers his State of the Nation Address (SONA 2025), Greenpeace Philippines has laid bare a powerful visual truth: our nation is submerged, not just in floodwater, but in a climate crisis spiraling out of control. With monsoon rains exacerbated by storm systems like #CrisingPH, #EmongPH, and #DantePH, many parts of Luzon have turned into waterlogged battlefields—proof that climate change is not a distant threat, but a daily catastrophe.

And yet, the real culprits remain untouched.

The Real State of the Nation: Drenched in Injustice

The image from Cainta is a metaphor made real. While families scramble to save what little they have from the floodwaters, fossil fuel giants—the oil, coal, and gas companies—continue to rake in profits from the very pollution that supercharges our storms. Greenpeace is demanding accountability, not just sympathy. They call on the President to turn his words into action by leading the charge for climate justice, and finally making the climate polluters pay.

This isn’t just about funding disaster response. This is about historical responsibility. According to decades of scientific research and policy advocacy, just a handful of companies are responsible for the majority of global carbon emissions. The Philippines, despite contributing less than 0.4% of global greenhouse gases, is among the most climate-vulnerable nations in the world. That disparity is no longer tolerable.

A Test of Leadership

As climate disasters grow in frequency and ferocity, President Marcos is standing at a crossroads. In previous addresses, he has acknowledged the reality of climate change. But acknowledgment is not action. The Filipino people deserve more than platitudes; they deserve protection, investment in climate resilience, and reparations from those most responsible for their suffering.

Greenpeace's protest is not just a rebuke—it is a demand for moral courage. Climate justice groups across the globe have launched the #MakeClimatePollutersPay campaign, urging governments to push back against the fossil fuel industry’s chokehold on global policy and public health.

Will President Marcos side with the people, or will he continue to allow fossil fuel corporations to operate with impunity?

The Urgency of the CLIMA Bill

Central to the campaign is the urgent passage of the Climate Accountability (CLIMA) Bill—a proposed legislation that seeks to compel major polluters to provide compensation for the loss and damage caused by climate-induced disasters in the Philippines. This would be a landmark move that shifts the financial burden of climate recovery from taxpayers and victims to the very industries that fueled the crisis.

The Philippines has the opportunity to lead the Global South in pioneering legal frameworks for climate reparations. But this won’t happen unless the nation’s highest leadership throws its full support behind it.

Voices from the Flood

In the flooded streets of Cainta, residents watched as the cardboard cutout of the President bobbed along the murky waters. For them, the protest wasn’t symbolic—it was their reality.

One local mother, cradling a baby while bailing water from her home, told volunteers: “Paulit-ulit na lang. Baha dito, baha doon. Pero kailan ba talaga mananagot ang mga tunay na salarin?” (It keeps happening. Floods here, floods there. But when will the real culprits be held accountable?)

It is a heartbreaking question. One that can no longer be ignored.

A Nation Demands Climate Justice

Greenpeace’s bold action in Cainta isn’t just a prelude to the President’s SONA—it is a referendum on his legacy. If President Marcos truly wants to be remembered as a leader for future generations, he must declare a war not on nature, but on the exploiters of nature.

Let this year's SONA be more than ceremony. Let it be a turning point. Let it be the moment the Philippines finally said: “No more.”

The floodwaters are rising. The people are watching. And history is waiting to see if President Marcos will lead not just with speeches—but with justice.

About "WazzupPilipinas.com"

WazzupPilipinas.com is the fastest growing and most awarded blog and social media community that has transcended beyond online media. It has successfully collaborated with all forms of media namely print, radio and television making it the most diverse multimedia organization. The numerous collaborations with hundreds of brands and organizations as online media partner and brand ambassador makes WazzupPilipinas.com a truly successful advocate of everything about the Philippines, and even more since its support extends further to even international organizations including startups and SMEs that have made our country their second home.