Sara gives thumbs up to ‘inspiring’ leadership

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte has congratulated President Marcos for what she described as “inspiring” leadership as reflected in his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) yesterday.

“Congratulations, Apo BBM! I am truly grateful for President Ferdinand Marcos and his leadership marked with decisiveness, strength, fortitude and political will – clearly demonstrated over the past year in office,” Duterte said in a press statement shortly after Marcos delivered his SONA at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City.

“It is the kind of leadership that inspires us to be more aggressive in delivering what we have promised to the Filipino people,” she added.

Duterte, also the education secretary, specifically lauded Marcos’ expression of support for the reforms in the basic education system introduced by the Department of Education (DepEd) through its “MATATAG Agenda” and his development agenda for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao or BARMM.

Administration and opposition lawmakers also commended Marcos for his pragmatic assessment of what his one-year administration has done, by admitting that the country’s fundamentals are sound and are actually “improving.”

The business community also lauded Marcos, especially for his focus on agriculture and key economic priorities like easing inflation, increasing production, accelerating infrastructure development, boosting job generation and ensuring social protection.

“The message is crystal clear: despite the turmoil in some parts of the globe, we have managed to keep the economy afloat, and that more and more Filipinos are benefitting from this significant improvement,” Speaker Martin Romualdez said.

Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, chairman of the House committee on appropriations, and 1Pacman Rep. Mikee Romero, chairman of the committee on poverty alleviation, also had kind words, noting that the Chief Executive already made significant changes in the nation’s health, housing and agricultural sectors.

House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan, of 4Ps party-list, said that while the Marcos administration is “on track in economic growth and jobs creation,” it still has to deal with the threats of El Niño weather conditions that could “pose a significant risk.”

Fellow opposition Rep. Gabriel Bordado Jr. of Camarines Sur also raised concerns regarding the country’s economic growth, agriculture sector and education system, which he said needs “immediate action.”

“While the Philippines experienced economic growth in 2022, the country is still significantly behind its pre-pandemic level,” he said, urging Marcos to take “decisive action on these critical issues to propel the nation towards a more stable and prosperous future.”

Biz groups welcome SONA

The business sector welcomed Marcos’ second SONA, particularly his emphasis on agriculture.Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry president George Barcelon described the SONA as substantive.

“He covered a lot of areas. And then in one thing he mentioned about some of the key issues relevant to agriculture. He mentioned water resources, which is important because water can be scarce in view of climate change,” Barcelon said.

Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion also welcomed the emphasis on agriculture, noting its importance to the economy

Concepcion said the SONA was quite detailed, very informative, adding that it cited the role of the private sector.

He noted that bulk of the MSMEs are really facing a serious challenge, particularly the micro farmers.

“Those MSME services which are basically food, sari-sari stores, carinderias, they’re fine because they are easily scalable. They can operate the way they are. But farmers they have to group together to create scale. That’s the situation why we are not competitive. So they’re not large enough to weather a challenging scenario like the typhoon,” Concepcion said, adding that the small farmers will have to attach themselves to good cooperatives.

Management Association of the Philippines president Benedicta Du-Baladad lauded the country’s successful transition from pandemic mode into a vibrantly recovering nation as it posted economic gains under the present leadership.

“We welcome the initiatives mentioned by the President that would address critical social development issues, such as malnutrition, low level of education, employment, providing better social services, improving health services, digitalization for financial inclusion.  These are the very same advocacies that drive the flagship projects of the MAP,” Baladad said.

The European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines said it is highly encouraged by the President’s emphasis on key economic priorities – the easing of inflation, increasing of production, promoting industry development, accelerating infrastructure development, advancing human capital development, boosting job generation and ensuring social protection.

“The ECCP likewise greatly welcomed the recognition of critical areas such as investments toward hard and soft infrastructure, the enabling of a sound business and economic landscape in the country and the continued promotion of structural reforms that aim to sustain and shore up investor confidence in the Philippines,” the group said. — Artemio Dumlao, Emmanuel Tupas, Mark Ernest Villeza, Sheila Crisostomo, Catherine Talavera, Daphne Galvez