SUMMARY OF PRESIDENT BONGBONG MARCOS' #SONA2023

A year into office, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. reiterated his administration's gains in the past year, including key progress and updates on public health, infrastructure, education, and agriculture, among others. He addressed the nation at the Batasang Pambansa complex in Quezon City on Monday (July 24), before a joint session of Congress. His speech which lasted for an hour and 11 minutes and was applauded at least 68 times. The President received a standing ovation during the last part of his speech where he said that the “new Philippines” (Bagong Pilipinas) has arrived and that the state of the nation is strong and improving.

Despite confirming his attendance earlier, former President Rodrigo Duterte skipped the SONA.

Among the President’s audience were two “golden” women seated next two each other and wearing matching shades of yellow: Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio in a traditional Maguindanaon dress and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos who wore a Lesley Mobo hand-embroidered terno.

Two former Presidents likewise graced the event — Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who is also a House deputy speaker.

Before entering the plenary, Marcos was also greeted by his sister, Sen. Imee Marcos, who showed to him her henna tattoo to match her Igorot tribal outfit.

Classical singer Lara Maigue opened the event with her rendition of the national anthem.

Highlights of his speech:

ECONOMY

Marcos highlighted the country’s inflation rate. He said the Philippines economy had posted a 7.6 percent growth in 2022, the country’s highest growth rate in 46 years.

AMENDMENT OF FISHERIES CODE

Marcos asked the Congress’ support in amending the Fisheries Code to make it “in harmony with the environmental balance.”

He said the code must be revised to incorporate science-based methods.

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION

Marcos said the government has been aiming to boost the country’s local agricultural production through “consolidation, modernization, mechanization, and improvement of value chains augmented by timely and calibrated importation, as needed.”

EL NIÑO PREPARATIONS

Marcos called on the public to prepare for El Nino and assured that the government is ready for it. He said the government can implemented cloud seeding if needed.

WARNING TO HOARDERS, SMUGGLERS

Marcos warned smugglers and hoarders, saying: “Bilang na ang araw nyo.”

He said these smugglers are one of the reasons for the increase in the prices of agriculture products and goods in the country.

“Sadyang hindi tama ang kanilang gawain at hindi rin ito tugma sa ating magandang layunin... Napapahamak hindi lamang ang mga magsasaka, kundi tayo na ring mga mamimili. Kaya hindi natin papayagan ang ganitong kalakaran.”

INFRASTRUCTURE

Marcos assured that the government will continue not just to add but also expand infrastructure projects that would help the Filipino people. He said through the government’s Build Better program, the government will work to connect islands in the country by building roads and bridges, among other infrastructure projects.

He said the physical connectivity infrastructure accounts 83 percent of the Build Better program, but he assured that the country’s infrastructure spending will stay at five to six percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

EDUCATION

Marcos acknowledged that literacy needs to be strengthened in the country, and assured that the government has been doing programs and projects to strengthen the country’s education. He said tertiary education will remain free for qualified students.

MARITIME

Marcos said the country’s maritime education has been strengthened to solidify the country’s position as a global maritime hub. He said the question about the European Union’s recognition of the standards of training of Filipino seafarers has finally been resolved after 17 years.

MEDICAL ASSISTANCE

Marcos said the government has been providing medical assistance for indigent patients through the Department of Health. He said is addressing the lack of doctors and nurses through educational reforms, trainings and ensuring their well-being. He assured that more doctors will be deployed to provinces where doctors are needed.

RELEASE OF COVID PAY

Marcos assured that the government will release and distribute the Covid-19 health emergency allowance and other benefits that it owed to health workers who have served in public and private hospitals during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Upang masuklian ang naging sakripisyo ng ating mga health workers sa pribado at pampublikong na mga ospital noong nakaraang pandemya, ipapamahagi na sa kanila ang kanilang Covid health emergency allowance at iba pang mga nabinbing benepisyo,” he said.

DIGITALIZATION

Marcos stressed that digitalization is the “call of today, not of the future.” “It is needed today and the government must fully embrace it to provide better services to the people.” He said digitalization will support not the government’s data-driven and science-based decision making not just to improve the ease of business but also to fight graft and corruption.

INTERNET ACCESS AND SPEED

Marcos vowed that there will be more improvements as internet infrastructure undergoes upgrade. He said the national fiber backbone and Broadband ng Masa projects will continue to deliver high speed internet and they are prioritizing geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.

OFWs EMPLOYMENT

Marcos announced that the deployment issue in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been resolved, with around 70,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) already deployed to Saudi Arabia for employment as of Tuesday, July 24, 2023.

He also said that the Saudi Arabian government has assured him that the unpaid salaries and unrelated claims of some OFWs who have been laid off during the pandemic in Saudi will now be paid.

DISASTER RESPONSE

Marcos said that climate change has now become an important criterion, thus the Philippines will continue to be prepared in all disaster response. He said the government is reorganizing response teams to make them more adaptable and agile in times of disasters and calamities.

He said new evacuation centers have been built, stressing that 55 have so far been completed.

AMNESTY FOR REBEL RETURNEES

Marcos asked the Congress to support him in his endeavor, as he announced that he will be granting amnesty to rebel returnees.

He said amnesty is needed to complete the reintegration process, which is being done through the Barangay Development and Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Programs, which have proven effective in addressing the root cause of conflict in the countryside.

BANGSAMORO TRANSITION

Marcos said he is proud to see the progress of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm), as he stressed that former adversaries have become the government’s partners in peace.

“Through the Barmm, we have strengthened the nation’s prospects for finally achieving sustainable progress anchored on a true and lasting peace in Southern Philippines.”

He thanked several groups, such as the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Moro National Liberation Front, for helping in the transition phase, as he vowed to continue to support the progress of the autonomous region.

DRUG WAR

Marcos reiterated that the government’s fight against illegal drugs will continue, but it has “taken on a new face.” It is now geared community-based treatment, rehabilitation, education, and reintegration. He vowed to shut down illegal drug activities and dismantle the network operations of drug syndicates. He said unscrupulous law enforcers and others involved in the drug trade have been exposed and he will be accepting their resignations. He will instead install individuals who will be trustworthy. He said he will not corruption and incompetence in government.

CLIMATE SOLUTIONS, GREEN ISSUES TAKE A BACKSEAT IN MARCOS' 2ND SONA

MANILA — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. briefly mentioned climate change and was silent about the country’s biggest environmental issues in his second State of the Nation Address, leaving green groups unsatisfied and seeking more concrete solutions.

Marcos frequently mentioned the need to address climate change and protect the environment in his speeches at home and abroad during his first year as the president.

The chief executive mentioned the need to develop green and blue economies, and protect and preserve forests as well as the commitment of the country to meet the global decarbonization goals.

He also touched on the adoption of a “circular economy”—or maximizing resource efficiency while minimizing environmental impacts and greenhouse gas emissions.

But Marcos did not mention any policy or program to achieve these.

Silence on green issues

Marcos did not mention the first major environmental disaster of his administration: the oil spill in Oriental Mindoro.

MARCOS TIGHT-LIPPED ON WEST PHILIPPINE SEA DISPUTE IN 2ND SONA

MANILA — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday kept his lips sealed on the Philippines’ claim over the West Philippine Sea.

However, Marcos maintains that the country’s independent foreign policy has been effective.

“Our independent foreign policy—a friend to all and enemy of none—has proven effective. We formed strategic alliances with our traditional and newfound partners in the international community,” he said.

This was not the first time Marcos kept mum on the disputed islands.

In his previous SONA, Marcos guaranteed the country’s sovereignty, saying that he will “not preside over any process that will abandon even a square inch of the territory of the Republic of the Philippines to any foreign power.”

However, this year, the president gave minimal mention of the issues surrounding the West Philippine Sea.

SOLONS LAUD ‘NO-NONSENSE’ ACCOUNTING OF MARCOS ADMIN’S FIRST YEAR

Lawmakers on Monday applauded President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s second State of the Nation Address (SONA) for its “no-nonsense” accounting of what the administration has achieved and what more must be done, but labor groups and the urban poor said not much has changed for them.

Speaker Martin G. Romualdez said the President delivered his message loud and clear.

Despite the turmoil in other parts of the world, Romualdez said, the country’s economy is doing well and a large number of Filipinos are benefiting from it.

“We in the House of Representatives will support the President’s agenda,” Romualdez said as he vowed that Congress will work on the immediate passage of the legislation identified by the President in his speech.

Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. said the President’s speech was “spectacular and no-nonsense.”

TRANSPORT STRIKE SUSPENDED DUE TO BAD WEATHER

MANILA — Transport strike Manibela has called off its supposed 3-day strike due to the threat of super typhoon Egay.

In a Facebook post on Monday, Manibela said it heeded passengers' call for transportation during heavy rains.

But it said the strike would continue if government failed to address issues faced by the transport sector.

Manibela led the strike on Monday to denounce government's public utility vehicle modernization program.

The protest coincided with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s second State of the Nation Address, which Manibela said failed to touch on transport issues.

EGAY NOW A SUPER TYPHOON

Weather bureau PAGASA says Egay has intensified into a super typhoon Tuesday as it continues to threaten Northern Luzon.

As of 7 a.m., the center of the eye of Super Typhoon Egay was estimated based on all available data including those from Daet Doppler Weather Radar at 310 km East of Tuguegarao City, Cagayan.

The super typhoon is packing 185 kph winds and 230 kph gusts and moving northwestward at 10 km/h.

PAGASA said strong to typhoon-force winds will extend outwards up to 680 km from the center of the weather disturbance.

It said there is a high risk of storm surge which may cause flooding in the low-lying and exposed coastal areas of Batanes, Cagayan including Babuyan Islands, Isabela, and Ilocos Norte.

"Maximum surge heights may exceed 3.0 m is some of the warning areas," PAGASA warned.

Egay is forecast to make landfall or pass very close to Babuyan Islands-northeastern mainland Cagayan area between late evening Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon.

The weather bureau has forecast accumulated rainfall of above 200 mm in the eastern portion of Babuyan Islands and the northern portions of mainland Cagayan, Apayao, and Ilocos Norte.

Some 100-200 mm in accumulated rainfall will affect Ilocos Sur, Abra, the northern portion of La Union, the western portion of Kalinga, and the rest of Babuyan Islands, mainland Cagayan, and Apayao, according to PAGASA.

Another 50-100 mm of accumulated rainfall will affect Batanes, the northern and eastern portions of Isabela, the northern portion of Zambales, and the rest of Ilocos Region and Cordillera Administrative Region today.

"Forecast rainfall are generally higher in elevated or mountainous areas. Under these conditions, flooding and rain-induced landslides are highly likely especially in areas that are highly or very highly susceptible to these hazards as identified in hazard maps and in localities that experienced considerable amounts of rainfall for the past several days," it said.

PAGASA said the southwest monsoon enhanced by Egay will continue to bring occasional to monsoon rains over the western portions of Central Luzon, Southern Luzon, and Visayas in the next three days.

THE REST

========

PHILIPPINES ORDERS EVACUATIONS AHEAD OF SUPER TYPHOON EGAY

MANILA — A super typhoon swept towards the northern Philippines on Tuesday, the country’s weather agency said, triggering evacuation orders for coastal communities expected to bear the brunt of the powerful storm.

Super Typhoon Egay (international name: Doksuri) was packing maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometers an hour as it headed towards a group of three lightly populated islands off the northern tip of the main island of Luzon, the agency said.

The storm was expected to make landfall or pass very close to the Babuyan islands or northeastern Cagayan province by Wednesday afternoon, the agency said in its 8 a.m. bulletin.

It would then sweep across to Taiwan and eastern China.

The storm was expected to dump more than 200 millimeters (7.9 inches) of rain on the islands and the northern portion of Cagayan, Apayao and Ilocos Norte provinces on Tuesday.

Three of the five Babuyan islands are inhabited, with a population of around 20,000 people.

Local disaster official Charles Castillejos said coastal communities on the islands had been ordered to leave their homes, while fishermen had been told to get their boats out of the water.

"We sent the police to convince the hard-headed ones who refuse to evacuate," Castillejos told AFP.

PHILIPPINES REGISTERS MORE THAN 105 MILLION SIM CARDS

MANILA -- More than 105 million SIM cards have been registered with government as of July 23, the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT) said Tuesday.

In a statement, DICT said 105,260,340 SIM cards have been registered with them including 48,019,084 from Globe, 49,740,428 from Smart, and 7,500,828 from DITO.

The SIM registration period ends on July 25, Tuesday. DICT earlier said there will be no more extension of this deadline.

Unregistered SIMs will automatically be deactivated after the deadline. Users of deactivated SIMs have a 5-day grace period to register their mobile numbers, the DICT said.

DEPED LAUNCHES NEW PROGRAM TO ENHANCE EDUCATION SYSTEM

The Department of Education (DepEd) on Monday launched a voluntary three- to five-week learning recovery program during the current school break to boost students’ performance and teachers’ capacity.

Dubbed the National Learning Camp (NLC), the program would be offered every end-of-school-year break to “complement learning efforts in the previous school year and provide a firmer basis for further gains in the upcoming school year.”

As envisioned, it will have a phased implementation starting with Grades 7 and 8 this 2022-2023 EOSY break with focus on English, Mathematics, and Science.

Expansion to other grade levels and learning areas is set in the succeeding school years, with national programs on Reading, Mathematics, and Science and Technology targeted to be rolled out starting School Year 2023-2024.

Under the NLC, learners who will join would be enrolled in one of the three camps based on their specific needs: consolidation, enhancement, or intervention.

The consolidation camp is designed to “provide further practice on and application of previously taught competencies.” Opportunities will be provided in this camp to identify links connecting concepts and skills across grade-level competencies.

The enhancement camp, meanwhile, aims to “enrich learning for advanced learners by providing greater depth, breadth, and complexity of learning area competencies.”

The intervention camp seeks to “support high-need learners who are yet to grasp Foundational Mathematics and/or Foundational English skills.”

Students who will accomplish learning tasks required in their camp will be given a certificate of completion, while teachers who will render service for the NLC will get a certificate of recognition.

Learning tasks that will be given to learners are assignments, presentations, practical exercises, and other relevant activities that assess their understanding and application of competencies.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

KATHRYN BERNARDO, DOLLY DE LEON DONE FILMING 'A VERY GOOD GIRL'

MANILA – Kathryn Bernardo and Dolly De Leon have wrapped filming for their upcoming movie “A Very Good Girl.”

Bernardo shared on Instagram a few clips and pictures from their wrap party, saying she cannot believe they are already done doing the movie.

“Had the best time working on this project because of these talented and beautiful people,” she captioned her post.

“Thank you for making this my happiest and most unforgettable shooting experience to date. Congratulations to us!!” Bernardo added.

Aside from Bernardo and de Leon, “A Very Good Girl” also stars Jake Ejercito, Angel Aquino, and Chie Filomeno, Donna Cariaga, Gillian Vicencio, Ana Abad Santos, Kaori Oinuma, Althea Ruedas, Nathania Guerrero, and Nour Hooshmand.

Directed by Petersen Vargas and written by Marionne Dominique Mancol, "A Very Good Girl" will have Carmi Raymundo as the creative manager and Daniel Saniana as the creative supervisor.

"It's such an honor because I will be working, she agreed to work with me, with the one and only Ms. Dolly de Leon. For sure marami akong matututunan sa kanya. I can't wait to meet her again… What a great honor na gumawa at nabigyan niya ako ng oras," Bernardo said previously.

INDICATORS

FOREX $1 = P 54.75

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility. - HW Longfellow