This proceeding is from the roundtable discussion (RTD) “Reality versus Expectation: A Discussion on BBM’s 2023 SONA” held last 17 July 2023 at the University of the Philippines Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS). This was organized by the Program on Social and Political Change (PSPC) and the Department of Political Science of the University of the Philippines Diliman. The event aimed to facilitate a critical examination of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s first State of the Nation Address (SONA).