PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. yesterday outlined plans and goals of his administration for the next six years, including 19 priority measures that he wants Congress to pass.
Among the bills are on strengthening the country’s health and disaster response system and the economy, and promoting efficiency of government service.
In his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) before the joint session of Congress, the President also promised to create jobs, support growth by improving tourism, expedite long overdue infrastructure works including airports and railways, embrace renewable energy and be tough on firms that damaged the environment.
Marcos Jr reiterated his commitment to protect Philippine sovereignty.
“On the area of foreign policy, I will not preside over any process that will abandon even one square inch of territory of the Republic of the Philippines to any foreign power,” he said, adding he will continue to pursue a policy of a Philippines that is a “friend to all, an enemy to none.”
He said the Philippines has always been open and welcoming to all our foreign friends and visitors and it will remain to be a “good neighbor” that is always looking for ways to collaborate and cooperate with other nations with the end goal of having mutually beneficial outcomes.
“If we agree, we will cooperate and we will work together. And if we differ, let us talk some more until we develop a consensus… But we will not waver. We will stand firm in our independent foreign policy, with the national interest as our primordial guide. We commit to maintaining good relations with the rest of the world,” he said.
Also among Marcos’ plans are improving education, healthcare and working conditions for doctors and nurses, and ensuring a better water and power supply across the nation.
Marcos also said amid challenges tasks ahead, the Philippines will endure and the Filipino spirit will “remain undimmed” because he knows in his mind, heart and soul, that the “the state of the nation is sound.”
PRIORITY MEASURES
Among the 19 measures Marcos wants Congress to pass are on establishing a Medical Reserve Corp; creating a Center for Disease Prevention and Control, a Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines, and a Unified System of Separation, Retirement and Pension that grants a monthly disability pension, in lieu of disability benefits, for military and uniformed personnel retired by reasons of disability; making mandatory the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps; amending the National Defense Act of 1935 to make the military structure of the Armed Forces more responsive to current and future non-conventional security threats to national sovereignty; amending the Electric Power Industry Reform Act or EPIRA (Rep. Act No. 9136) to enhance its effectiveness in addressing the high cost of electricity;
He also endorsed priority measures of the Duterte government such as laws creating a Department of Water Resources to establish framework for national water management, policy making and planning; and the National Land Use Act that provides for a rational and holistic management and development of our country’s land and water resources and hold owners accountable for making these lands productive and sustainable.
OFWS
Marcos reaffirmed his commitment to promote the welfare of Filipinos working overseas with the help of the Department of Overseas Filipinos.
He said processing of papers and documents of an OFW will be reduced to three weeks from three months while OFW handbooks will be made simpler and easier to understand.
A One Repatriation Command Center would also be set up to assist OFws who are abused or in need of help.
The President said Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople would soon fly to Saudi Arabia to push for the reopening of employment of Filipinos in that country while ensuring that their rights are protected, and campaigning against ad human trafficking.
“You OFWs represent the fighting faith of the Filipinos as a nation and as a people. Let us transform your overseas journey into inspirational stories for all time,” he said.
CAMPAIGN PROMISES
The President also detailed some of his plans to realize some of the campaign promises like strengthening the education sector, digitization of the government processes and improving the internet system; improving the energy sector and making affordable energy and electricity; protecting the environment amid the climate change threats; and continuing the infrastructure program of his predecessor.
Marcos thanked former President Rodrigo Duterte for starting some of the important programs in the country.
He did not tackle the peace process and the campaign against illegal drugs, insurgency and terrorism or the peace process.
The President, however, committed to uplift the lives of Filipinos and help those in dire need through programs of government that provide social services including those under the Department of Social Welfare and Development such as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS), and the Emergency Shelter Assistance program that is undertaken by the department win coordination with the at Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development.
Marcos said these programs would not just continue but would also be provided to those that actually need it.
NO LOCKDOWN
The President also committed to sustain the COVID-19 programs of the government, including the vaccination and booster shots program of the Department of Health. He reiterated that he wants another round of public vaccination programs to increase the vaccine and booster rate.
Marcos is also sustaining the COVID-19 alert level system for now until they come out with a new classification policy that is more applicable to the present situation and current presence of subvariants.
He, however, clarified that there will be no more lockdown in the future despite the observance of the current alert level systems.
“In our health situation, the COVID-19 threat remains especially with the emergence of new variants of the coronavirus. But we cannot afford another lockdown. We will not impose lockdowns), “ he said in Filipino.
HEALTHCARE
Marcos wants to strengthen the healthcare system by establishing specialty hospitals outside of Metro Manila similar to the Heart Center, Lung Center, Children’s Hospital, and National Kidney and Transplant Institute that were established during the presidency of his father, the late Ferdinand Marcos.
He also wants more regional hospitals or public clinics, especially in remote areas, that are regularly visited by doctors, nurses, midwives, and medical technologists to be able to attend to the health concerns of people in remote places.
The President said he has also started talks with some pharmaceutical companies both here and abroad about increasing the supply of affordable medicine in the country including generic brands. He directed the Department of Trade and Industry and the Philippine Competition Commission to ensure equal treatment and no cartel among the pharmaceutical companies.
“This is one of the hard lessons that we learned when the pandemic struck, and therefore, we must act on that shortcoming,” he said.
CLASSES
Marcos said the resumption of full face to face classes will proceed as he “continue to encourage everyone to get their booster shots in preparation for the resumption of in-person classes.”
Apart from ensuring the vaccination and booster program to ensure the health and safety of both students and teachers, problems about the condition and availability of school rooms are also being addressed by the Departments of Education (DepEd) and Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
“Though some complications have arisen over the question of repair of school buildings in relation to the Mandanas-Garcia ruling, this will be ironed out,” he said. Government wants the full face to face classes to resume by November.
The President again mentioned that the continuation and viability of the K to 12 school system is being carefully reviewed and that “all necessary inputs and points of view are now being considered.”
He also again talked of the need to institute refresher courses and re-training for teachers so they can stay abreast of the rapid growth in technology, especially in this post-pandemic world.
Marcos also emphasized the importance of the ability of stable internet connection to enable students to participate fully in the digital community here and abroad, as well as the importance of improving the country’s international rankings in “STEM subjects” or Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics to enable the Filipino graduates to compete in a highly technological and competitive world.
He also emphasized the need to sustain and improve the Filipinos grasp of the English language to “maintain that advantage that we have established as an English-speaking people.”
“We cannot stand idly by,” he said.
