Agreed. But teaching (or learning) phonics requires discipline and drill, which I believe are not high on the priority list of the groups you reference.
So if “see-say” were outlawed tomorrow, I don’t know that it would of itself make much difference.
Well I don’t know which phonics you are using, but it requires much less drill than any sight method since there are 70 phonograms and 30 spelling rules. Pretty much anyone can memorize 100 facts better and faster than thousands of words by sight.
You don’t need expensive textbooks or workbooks either. People forget that millions are spent in every school district on these, which is another prime motivator in persisting with whole word methods. It’s always about the moolah.