Marcos invites Filipinos to listen to first SONA

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos has invited Filipinos to listen to his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 25, where he will discuss his key policies and priorities as the country’s 17th Chief Executive.

“Nalalapit na ang ating pinaka-unang State of the Nation Address (Our first SONA is approaching),” Marcos said in a Facebook post published last Sunday.

“Samahan niyo po ako at pakinggan ang estado ng ating bansa at ang mga plano at mithiin natin bilang isang sambayanan para sa mga susunod na taon (Join me and listen as I talk about the state of our country and our plans and aspirations as a nation in the succeeding years),” he added.

Marcos’ first SONA will be held more than three weeks after he assumed office and on the same day that the 19th Congress will formally open session.

He is expected to enumerate his priority bills and to ask Congress to pass measures that will help his administration carry out its programs.

The President will also present the details of the government’s medium-term fiscal framework, which is aimed at cutting the budget deficit, promoting fiscal sustainability and enabling robust economic growth.

Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno previously said the framework would be implemented in two stages over the entire term of the President.

Among the goals set under the strategy is for the economy to grow by 6.5 to 7.5 percent this year and by 6.5 to 8 percent from 2023 to 2028.

The government also aims to reduce poverty incidence to nine percent by the end of Marcos’ term.

Former president Rodrigo Duterte’s administration managed to bring poverty incidence down from 23.5 percent in 2015 to 16.7 percent before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country, according to Diokno.

He said between the first semester of 2018 and the first semester of 2021, poverty incidence rose to 23.7 percent.

Economic managers also seek to elevate the country to upper middle-income status, where per capita income for Filipinos is at $4,046 by the end of Marcos’ term.

The administration also wants to reduce the debt-to-gross domestic product ratio from 63.5 percent as of the first quarter of 2022 to 60 percent by 2025.

Marcos has also vowed to make agriculture his “highest priority,” saying a strong economy cannot be built without a robust agricultural sector.

The President, who temporarily heads the agriculture department, has directed the agency to increase food production and to craft a multi-year plan to construct the Philippines’ value chain to address a food crisis that he said may affect the Philippines in the next two quarters.

He cited the need to increase the production of rice, corn and livestock while ensuring that their prices remain affordable.

Clear roadmap

Senators are anticipating the first SONA of Marcos, who they hope will present a clear roadmap on how his administration will address the daunting challenges the country is facing.

Sen. JV Ejercito expressed hope that Marcos will detail his plans for the country’s economic recovery and pandemic response in his SONA on Monday.

“I hope to hear some specifics on the direction he wants to take for the country. His inauguration speech was inspiring, but his SONA needs to flesh out the details of his plan to address the challenges we face,” Ejercito said in a statement.

“He needs to come up with a plan that balances the need to protect our people from the current and future pandemic and the urgency of reviving our economy in the face of mounting debt, external pressures and inflation,” he added.

The senator said he expects Marcos to discuss a comprehensive economic plan that will go beyond proposals to raise existing taxes and levy new ones.

“There have been talks about raising taxes. This cannot be a stand-alone plan; rather, it should be part of a comprehensive economic blueprint that I hope will be discussed in the SONA,” Ejercito said.

He also emphasized the need to anchor the country’s pandemic response on the Universal Health Care law, which he principally sponsored during his first term at the Senate.

Ejercito recently filed an amendment to the measure, seeking to adjust current PhilHealth contribution schemes.

As principal author of the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act and an advocate for local farmers, Ejercito called on Marcos to elaborate on his plan for food security amid the threat of an impending food crisis.

Sen. Nancy Binay said Marcos should also mention how he intends to cushion the effects of rising fuel prices and his economic roadmap for the next six years.

Sen. Robin Padilla said he is excited to listen to the SONA, especially now as a senator.

Padilla added that he used to attend Duterte’s SONA, but as a “third person.”

“I’m excited to what President Marcos will say. Because when we were campaigning, he always said he would continue the good programs of Duterte,” Padilla told reporters in Filipino.

He added that he was keen on what Marcos will say about the war on drugs, Build Build Build and agriculture.

‘Proportionately represented’

Allies or partners of the administration party under the supermajority coalition will be “proportionately represented” when the 19th Congress convenes on July 25, presumptive speaker Martin Romualdez said yesterday.

“We will also go by seniority, merit, experience and, of course, the initiative to make the sacrifice and hard work needed for each of the positions,” Romualdez told reporters in a chance interview.

Romualdez, Marcos’ first cousin, is expected to be elected as the speaker on July 25, when the new Chief Executive delivers his first SONA.

The reelected first district congressman of Leyte province said that while many members of the 19th Congress are qualified for leadership and committee posts, the House will be guided by “our time-honored traditions of having the respective parties properly represented.”

Romualdez served as majority leader in the 18th Congress (July 2019-June 2022).

Asked who would be his successor as majority leader, he replied: “We’ll let you know next week. We’ll try to get those who are willing to make the sacrifice of hard work and get a consensus to help us on (legislative) measures.”

Also yesterday, the House leader does not see any problem regarding the submission of the proposed national budget for 2023, which he promised to pass before the year ends, just like they as lawmakers always do.

“The most important is the 2023 national budget, which we will pass definitely within the third quarter for the President to sign before the year ends. The executive department can submit the proposed budget within 30 days of SONA delivery,” Romualdez said.

He also delivered an inspirational message to the third batch of neophyte congressmen who finished the executive course on legislation for members of the 19th Congress at the Belmonte Hall inside the Batasang Pambansa complex in Quezon City.

1,365 guests

Meanwhile, more than 1,300 individuals are invited to attend Marcos’ first SONA before the joint session of Congress at the Batasan complex in Quezon City.

House of Representatives Secretary General Mark Llandro Mendoza said they have started sending out invitations to 1,365 guests over the weekend while the rest of the invitations will be delivered this week.

“So far, we are OK with the coordination with different agencies and with Malacañangy,” Mendoza told GMA 7’s “BalitangHali” yesterday.

Among the invitees are Vice President Sara Duterte, former presidents, former vice presidents, former speakers, former Senate presidents, members of Marcos’ Cabinet and members of the diplomatic corps.

This will be the first face-to-face SONA of a Philippine president since the COVID-19 pandemic started.

Duterte’s last two SONAs in 2020 and 2021 were held in a hybrid or mixed live and virtual setup as a precautionary measure against the virus. – Paolo Romero, Delon Porcalla, Sheila Crisostomo