PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. will deliver his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) today, during which he will talk about his administration’s plans for its first year in office.
Executive Secretary Victor Rodriguez has said the President himself was writing the speech which is expected to discuss economic recovery plans amid the COVID-19 pandemic, food security, prices and supply issues, education programs and the resumption of face-to-face classes, the digitalization of government, as well as some of the administration’s priority bills.
Rodriguez said the weekend had been devoted for the completion and finalization of the speech but neither he nor Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles could say how long the speech would be or how many drafts had been made.
They also could not say what priority bills would be tackled. The administration has been reviewing rice tarrification and tax laws, the K to 12 law, and the current budget to determine if a supplemental budget is still needed, among others. The administration has also been reviewing the government bureaucracy and pursuing rightsizing of offices.
A Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council is expected to be convened after the SONA, during which the administration’s priority bills will be presented.
The administration is also expected to hold consultations with the business sector and as well as give a briefing on the diplomatic corps after the SONA.
During his inaugural address on June 30, Marcos talked about some of his campaign promises, which he said he wishes to fulfill during his term, such as strengthening the agriculture sector and food security in the country, addressing climate change, easing the impact of the Russian-Ukraine row especially its effects on food and fuel security, and the COVID pandemic.
Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, who is expected to retain his chairmanship of the powerful ways and means committee, said the President’s first SONA will also be “his chance to articulate as President to the diplomatic corps his guiding foreign policy doctrine.”
“Because much of the current threats to economic recovery are externally driven, domestic policy and foreign policy will be deeply interconnected in the coming months. The SONA is the first best chance for PBBM to articulate to the world how he will navigate this dynamic.”
“While domestic policy is a power shared among the three branches, foreign policy is almost exclusively the domain of the President. He is, after all, the chief architect of foreign policy,” he said.
Salceda also said finding cheap sources of food, fuel, and fertilizer will demand that President Marcos “make deals in the national interest that are not necessarily perfectly aligned with the designs of our traditional allies.”
“President Duterte cultivated strong ties with Russia during his term. Indeed, he was given very good treatment during his state visit to Moscow. Russia is also the world’s leading source of fertilizers, on top of being an oil and gas producer. Belarus also produces much of the world’s phosphates. In their current status as ostracized by the West, our traditional cultural alignment, how do we optimize our friendship with Russia to solve our current food and fuel issues, without earning the ire of our Western partners?” he said.
GMA NOT ATTENDING
At least 1,300 guests have been invited to attend the SONA that Marcos will deliver before the joint session of Congress at the Batasan Complex in Quezon.
Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo will not be able to attend the event after her RT-PCTR test turned out positive last Saturday, according to her chief-of-staff Erwin Krishma Santos.
Santos said the former president, who also became a speaker in the 17th Congress, first tested positive after undergoing an antigen test on July 15 and has been in isolation since under the care of Dr. Martha Nucum who was head of the lawmaker’s medical team when she was placed under house arrest at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center.
The House of Representatives conducted the RT-PCR test for lawmakers, secretariat officials and employees, congressional staff, as well as service providers in preparation for today’s SONA.
The mandatory testing for those who will physically attend the SONA is in compliance with safety requirements mandated by the Presidential Security Group (PSG) to help ensure the safety of attendees against COVID-19.
HONEYMOON PERIOD?
As Marcos is set to deliver his first SONA, an administration lawmaker urged government critics to observe the 100-day “honeymoon” period customarily granted a new government administration.
Rep. Argel Cabatbat (PL, Magsasaka) said issues against the Marcos administration seem to be coming from inside his camp, since these have been mostly aimed at Executive Secretary Victor Rodriguez whose detractors have gone as far as flooding social media with fake news of his alleged resignation as the overall alter ego of the president.
Rodriguez has denied reports he resigned.
“ES Rodriguez should also be accorded a honeymoon period because the President trusts him more than other people… Even if he’s a buffer and that’s really the job of the ES) – to take the hit, H-I-T and take the heat, H-E-A-T,” Cabatbat said in Filipino.
Cabatbat urged Marcos to act swiftly in taking the role of a consensus builder, adding that it has become incumbent upon the chief executive to talk to key leaders and supporters of his administration, especially when it comes to appointments.
An official of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines urged Marcos to shun “motherhood statements” in his SONA.
“We usually hear ‘motherhood statements’ about what to do with our current situation. But, I think, Filipinos deserve more than that,” said Fr. Jerome Secillano, executive secretary of the CBCPs Committee on Public Affairs.
“We expect clarity in forging strategic directions towards development and growth of our people,” he added.
The priest said he also hopes Marcos will be able to cover several issues needing attention, such as unemployment, inflation, COVID-19 pandemic, corruption, housing problems, peace and order concerns, as well as economic woes.
The Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) said it wants Marcos’ SONA to tackle “clear programs that will address the problems of the workers.”
In particular, KMU said labor groups will monitor Marcos’ position on issues they have listed down as part of the Labor Agenda. These include passage of the “Pro-Worker Security of Tenure” Bill, having a national minimum wage law, removing excise tax and EVAT for fuel products and other basic commodities, stopping the labor export policy, and holding accountable those violating occupational safety and health law.
Also in their list is advocating for the workers right to organize and join unions, ending red-tagging and illegal arrests of labor leaders, junking the anti-terror law and abolishing National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, and provision of a mass public transport system and of affordable housing.
PARTY, CONCERT
A “SONA All: Kilos Suporta para sa Pagbangon at Pagkakaisa” watch party and street concert is scheduled near the Batasan Pambansa Complex in Quezon City starting at 1 p.m.
The event was organized by Marcos supporters led by former Rep. Mike Defensor and supported by Metro Manila mayors. A giant LED monitor has been placed in strategic areas near the President Corazon Aquino Elementary School on Batasan Road for the watch party while the street concert will feature guest bands and entertainers Repakol, Inner Voices, Arriba, Plethora, among others.
The tradition of delivering a SONA in the country — Marcos’ will be the 84th — started in 1935 when then president Manuel Quezon addressed a special session of the National Assembly on National Defense on November 25.
It was also enshrined in the 1935 Philippine Constitution. Delivery of the SONA is made every fourth Monday of July before a joint Congress and is usually delivered in the Session Hall of the House of Representatives. — With Wendell Vigilia and Gerard Naval
