President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. recapped the first two years of his administration with a bombshell announcement of the immediate banning of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) and a firm assertion of our sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Batasang Pambansa Complex last July 22.
Out on the streets, a battle of differing ideologies ensued as pro-Marcos, pro-Duterte, and opposition camps brought out their effigies and props in various programs across the country, aiming to air their calls to address the most pressing concerns of the Filipino people: inflation, poverty reduction, and job security.
Addressing the top three
Marcos opened his speech ironically echoing the same narrative voiced by opposition lawmaker Gabriela Partylist Rep. Arlene Brosas in a protest prior to the SONA: that progress means nothing if its effects are not felt by the ordinary Filipino.
On addressing inflation, he underscored that agricultural support programs and reforms such as the reduction of rice tariff rates are crucial to the lowering of agricultural production costs, and thus the prices of goods in the country. Marcos noticeably glided over the topic without providing a mechanism to address the issue.
The president also highlighted his version of his father’s KADIWA markets, which are government-subsidized stalls selling produce at reduced prices. He promised that these stores would be expanded as permanent fixtures in the country. However, data from the Department of Agriculture price monitoring show that no KADIWA store is retailing rice at P20 per kilo—a key promise during his election campaign.
Riding on the success stories of graduates of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), Marcos vowed to expand the government’s social safety nets to aid in the alleviation of poverty in the country. The poorest Filipinos will be protected from possible costs through the rollout of Walang Gutom 2027, a government food stamp program, and the expansion of the 4Ps aiming to subsidize the health and nutrition expenses of the first 1,000 days of a child.
The general public will also get to enjoy expanded PhilHealth benefits following the increase of insurance coverage on severe ailments, including cancer and stroke, and the addition of more generic medicines covered by the health insurance system.
Marcos also focused on the labor market, where he cited recent Philippine Statistics Authority data showing the increase in the employment rate at 95.5 percent, and the lowering of the underemployment rate to 9.9 percent last May compared to 11.7 percent in the same month last year. He highlighted the high employability of graduates of the Technical Vocational Education and Training programs and ordered the integration of its level of training into the curriculum of senior high school students.
Marcos also paraded the results of his multiple trips abroad, which he says generated one trillion pesos worth of investment, translating to 200,000 jobs. Investment pledges are not final and executory, though, as partners may still opt out of investing, similar to how, last year, China retracted its commitment to fund billions of pesos of rail and infrastructure plans made under the term of former President Rodrigo Duterte.
Bridging the country
Out of the 185 flagship projects approved by the National Economic and Development Authority, Marcos placed the center of attention on electrification, internet infrastructure, and transportation.
“The ‘unified Philippine Grid’ is a fulfillment of the dream,” Marcos said as he boasted of the newly constructed electric transmission connections linking the islands in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. According to him, along with the infrastructure, the reduction of fees and tariffs has aided in lowering the country’s energy prices, one of the highest in Southeast Asia.
Another network grid, the National Fiber Backbone, was signaled as a priority for the administration. Marcos emphasized that access to the internet down to the farthest areas of the country is crucial, as government and public services continue to transition to digital means. Among those include the streamlining of business permit processing, the Free Wi-Fi program, Palen-QR, the Philippine E-Visa, and the installation of digital infrastructure as a standard fixture in classrooms.
Disaster risk reduction and management also took a spot in the speech of the president. Marcos highlighted the various projects built to alleviate the effects of climate change such as the construction of various irrigation dams and dikes to combat El Niño, the building of more evacuation centers, the establishment of a Disaster Response Command Center, and 5,500 flood control projects across the county.
These projects and the administration’s preparedness were tested on the days that followed as the downpour brought by the Super Typhoon Carina-intensified southwest monsoon or Habagat resulted in Ondoy-level flooding across Metro Manila and Luzon. Individuals on social media were furious at the national government’s lack of direction, with various civil society organizations lamenting where these projects Marcos flaunted during his speech were.
Marcos also focused on his administration’s shift back to Public-Private Partnerships (PPP). Last February, the government awarded a PPP contract to manage the operations of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to the San Miguel Corporation, which Marcos said is the largest and fastest approved PPP.
Transportation hubs and road networks will and have also gotten an upgrade, he proclaimed, with capacity expansions and the opening of Overseas Filipino Workers’ lounges across the country’s air and seaports. Bridges and expressways across the country such as those around Metro Manila are also set to open soon.
On health, another PPP was also announced with the funding of the Philippine General Hospital Cancer Center. Along with this, Marcos also reported the launching of various primary healthcare facilities called Bagong Urgent Care and Ambulatory Services, Super Health Centers, and a per-province mobile clinic that would allow the population to easily access services for non-hospitable conditions and diseases.
Duterte U-turns
The plenary hall of the Batasang Pambansa applause got louder at the last parts of Marcos’ speech as he announced U-turn after U-turn of major policies enacted by his predecessor, Duterte.
It all started when he challenged the incumbent holder of Vice President Sara Duterte’s former post, Education Secretary Sonny Angara, to ensure an immediate increase in the quality of education in the country. He ordered the implementation of various support programs to better the welfare of teachers, as he says the quality of teachers would reflect the quality of our education.
His administration’s “bloodless” war on drugs also gained cheers after he boasted of heightened conviction rates and the seizing of suspects without the need for extermination. This is in stark contrast to Duterte’s Oplan Tokhang, which according to human rights groups, have killed at least 20,000 individuals.
Marcos received a standing ovation from the audience as he firmly declared the government’s commitment to not waver in the WPS dispute. He remained resolute in stating diplomacy as the only means of addressing the dispute amid the repeated harassment and water cannoning of China in the area. Recently, the Philippines and China agreed to a cooldown through the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism, which resulted in the establishment of a direct hotline between the two states’ presidents and a provisional arrangement for resupply missions to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.
“Effective today, all POGOs are banned,” Marcos proclaimed, earning roars of “BBM!” across the hall. The president directed the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to wind down their operations by year-end and for the Labor Department to assist affected Filipino workers. PAGCOR later confirmed that the ban would include the 43 internet gaming licensees or those offshore gaming operators that are accredited and regulated by the agency.
Despite these, Marcos noticeably failed to address the country’s major talking points such as the implementation of the ongoing Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program and last year’s SONA highlight: the newly-formed Maharlika Investment Fund. Key pieces of legislation were also absent from his speech, including charter change, the urgent-certified Mandatory Reserve Officers Training Corps bill, the SOGIE Equality bill, and the House-backed Divorce bill.
