On Monday, July 22, President Bongbong Marcos Jr. delivered his third State of the Nations Address (SONA) before a jam packed crowd, said to be the most number of attendees in history at the House of Representatives.
In his 1 hour and 22 minutes speech, Marcos Jr. discussed many of his administration’s achievements and future plans for the remaining four years of his term. However, not all relevant issues in the country were included in the president’s report. In here, Amaranth outlined what Marcos Jr. tackled in his SONA and what he missed.
Agriculture
Marcos started his SONA by drawing in from the Filipino trait of resilience and pride as nothing but statistics that is rarely felt amidst the economic challenges faced by the Filipino people, particularly the spike in the price of rice. He later on outlined the major achievements of the administration relating to the agricultural sector.
He reported giving out financial subsidies to poor farmers, distributing land titles, providing fertilizers, improving pest control initiatives, supporting local production and harvest, building of farm-to-market roads, improving disaster response efforts, inoculating vaccines against African Swine Fever (ASF), and investing in irrigation construction programs.
He also announced a new technology that will use a pre-border technical verification and cross-border electronic invoicing system in importing commodities to prevent illegal smugglers. He also reports extending reduced tariff rates in the importation of rice, corn, and pork by the end of the year.
Climate measures
With a secured seat on the Board of the Loss and Damage Fund where the Philippines will also serve as host country, Marcos welcomes this development and aims to further enhance the climate adaptation and mitigation measures of the government.
Marcos also bannered the “KALINISAN sa Bagong Pilipinas” program which reportedly collected 4,000 tons of garbage across the country within the first five months.
Infrastructure development
Marcos reports the government’s plan to intensify its “Build Better More” campaign with accomplished construction of bridges, health centers, and evacuation areas across the country. He pointed out that all infrastructure development remains sustained, strategic, and on schedule. This is despite several construction projects such as railway systems and bridges that have been delayed due to issues on the Right of Way (ROW) in some areas.
Internet connectivity
Marcos Jr. seeks to build a nationwide National Fiber Backbone system that will be fully operationalized by 2026. This project aims to provide more accessible internet connectivity to the masses.
Electricity
The president said in his SONA that he will be reviewing the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) of 2001 which aims to privatize the power sector's generation, transmission, distribution, and supply. He also assures the public that the government is continuously diagnosing and urgently addressing power shortages and systemic blackouts in underserved communities.
Transportation
Marcos reports several railway and road projects already completed, with more constructions yet to be done in the coming years. As of May 2024, over 12,000 kilometers of roads and 1,200 bridges were already built and upgraded across the country, with 76 modern trains accumulated for LRT 1 in order to improve the transit system in the country.
The administration also outlined more than 70 new seaport and airport developments made, with another 350 ongoing projects set to be finished by 2028.
Health
The Marcos administration reports the conduct of nationwide feeding programs in schools, bolstering vaccination drives for infants, inaugurating new healthcare facilities and centers, provision of more generic medicines, allocating seed funds for medical and allied health programs in public institutions, launching of medical scholarships, and upskilling health workers such as nurses.
Education
With a newly installed education secretary, Marcos seeks to implement more programs to improve the education sector in the country. Among those were to provide and equip schools with computers, smart TVs, and digital books.
He also aims to strengthen the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) to cater to students with grave financial needs. He also mentions his plans to install solar-powered electricity as a standard feature in schools.
In the case of teachers, the congress has passed the “Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo” Act which will provide teaching allowance for teachers and will be rolled out by next year. They will also be provided with Personal Accident Insurance courtesy of the GSIS.
Marcos also reports the launching of Filipinnovation and Malikhaing Pinoy programs seeking to enhance the interests of the public to generate solutions and drive innovation to adress societal problems.
Advanced learning systems and technologies, in the areas of robotics, artificial intelligence, and the global internet, will also be made available in TVET Innovation Centers nationwide.
Relevant scholarships and R&D grants will also be provided with goals to commercialize and mass produce R&D outputs and enforce intellectual property rights. A Multi-Spectral Unit for Land Assessment (MULA) will also be launched to space and will serve as the largest earth observation satellite of the country in space so far.
Employment and livelihood
Marcos brags a 95.9% increase in employment rate among Filipinos, particularly in high-quality jobs. Underemployment has also decreased from 11.7% in May of 2023 to 9.9% this year, which is considered the lowest since 2005.
He also outlined the provision of more job opportunities for People with Disabilities (PWDs) and creation of more job vacancies to cater the growing number of fresh graduates in the country.
Marcos also reported a slight increase in the minimum wage among certain areas, particularly in BARMM. Financial assistance will also be given to government employees set to be available in four tranches.
He also reports that his foreign trips seek to generate more competitive job opportunities for many Filipinos with more foreign investors and businesses opening in the country. More digital and cashless services will also be available which will benefit individual businesses, MSMEs, and even agricultural workers.
Tourism
Marcos seeks to focus on “experiential tourism” and support and elevate the “one town, one product”, or the OTOP, concept. This implies providing support to small businesses in towns or communities to promote Filipino products and culture from the grassroot level.
Overseas Filipino Workers
The Marcos administration bears providing financial assistance to OFWs affected by war or conflict, and other international issues across the globe. He reported that the Philippines is currently lobbying the adoption of the “Promoting and Protecting the Enjoyment of Human Rights of Seafarers.”
Returning OFWs will also enjoy ample benefits such as travel assistance, and local job opportunities and business ventures that they can pursue upon returning to the country.
Peace and Order, Drugs
Marcos reports that the country’s police, military, and coast guard is continuously undergoing capacity-building and asset-upgrading. He also noted an overall decrease in crime rate and an improvement in crime solution efficiency.
As of recent reports, Marcos mentions that no guerilla fronts remain active across the country today. The government also offers peace, community development, and reintegration programs for apprehended individuals who have returned to the fold of the law.
As of today, all seven inter-governmental mechanisms of the BARMM, mandated under the Organic Law, have also been activated. Rehabilitation in Marawi City also continues with its operation now under the Office of the President.
In the topic of drugs, more than 71,500 operations have resulted in the seizure of more than 44 billion pesos worth of illegal drugs, and the arrest of more than 97,000 drug personalities, 6,000 of which are high-value targets.
Marcos refers to this operation as a “bloodless” war on drugs which aims to sever drug operations in the country. He also reports that the drug conviction rate in the Philippines has increased to 79%.
West Philippine Sea
Marcos seeks to assert the country’s rights and interests in the contested waterways against China through proper diplomatic channels and mechanisms using the right international policies.
He also said that the government will continue to find ways to de-escalate tensions in the West Philippine Sea without compromising the country’s stance and principles. He also thanked the Philippine Coast Guard and the Filipino fishermen who have bravely asserted the country’s rights in the disputed waterways.
Economic prospects
Marcos reports that the country is steadily recovering from the pandemic in terms of economic performance. The poverty rate has decreased to 15.5%, down from 18% in 2021. Over 2.5 million Filipinos were also reportedly lifted from poverty, with 1.7 million Filipinos provided with means to have a healthy meal at their tables.
To sustain the country’s economic gains, the government seeks to promote investment-led growth with the goal to create environment conducive spaces for businesses to thrive. Investment of about three trillion pesos across the sectors of renewable energy, digital infrastructure, food security, and manufacturing is also in place.
Marcos also assures the people that the fiscal budget for this year is meticulously crafted to address major economic challenges in the country.
Total ban on ‘POGO’
Ending his report, Marcos officially announced the total ban of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators or POGOs in the country. This is following controversies surrounding POGO operations that were linked to corruption, money laundering, kidnapping, murder, and foreign invasion.
What Marcos Jr. missed
Despite Marcos Jr’s discussion on minimum wage, he failed to provide concrete solutions to address the low wages of many Filipino workers, which have been the subject of many rallies staged in various areas in the country in conjunction to his SONA.
There was also no mention of any gender-specific and SOGIE related regulations or policies. Marcos also did not discuss the pending divorce bill.
In the area of transportation, Marcos Jr. failed to discuss his plans on how to address the phaseout of jeepneys and the current direction of the PUV modernization program.
Yet again, Marcos has also not outlined any plans to protect the media or to enhance the journalism profession in the country, particularly in schools. There was also no mention of the Matatag Curriculum and the so-called “Bagong Pilipinas” program.
Environmental issues were also put in a gray area as Marcos failed to outline solutions on brewing environmental concerns in the country such as the Homonhon mining, exploitation of resources in Palawan, and the building of infrastructures in the middle of Chocolate Hills in Bohol.
Marcos Jr’s framing of a “bloodless” war on drugs also seemed unrealistic on the ground with reports that drug related killings continue under his administration. According to Project Dahas of the University of the Philippines, 342 drug casualties were recorded from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, which is at an average rate of 0.9 deaths per day. They also recorded 165 more deaths within the last six months of 2023, and 29 cases recorded in January and February this year.
How about you, what issue or plans did you want to hear from Marcos Jr’s third SONA?