There is still much to discuss about the coming up SONA but these key points should give us enough perspective as to where we are a year later
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has been chief executive for a year now and SONA season is upon us yet again.
Last year, I wrote about my expectations for SONA, what must be addressed, and an analysis after he gave his speech.
To start off this year, let’s look at some important issues that we wanted him to address. Have we moved forward from last year?
On the drug war, human rights, and defenders
When Marcos Jr. replaced Duterte, we had hoped for the end of the drug war.
In one of my SONA articles, I mentioned, “[W]ith a new chief executive in place, we can hope that the violent war on drugs Duterte has imposed will be transformed completely. Marcos Jr. has already mentioned that the drug war must be done “within the law.”
He has also told foreign leaders that while he is to keep the war against drugs, he would shift to the rehabilitation of drug users.
On the contrary, the World Report 2023 from Human Rights Watch states that deaths of thousands have continued under the police and their agents.
We had also looked forward to the “lessen(ed) violence against activists and people from the basic sectors” as Marcos’ National Security Adviser Clarita Carlos said, “Red-tagging should be stopped.”
Despite this statement, the red-tagging and human rights violations against activists have continued.
Just last June 14, the Fausto family (spouses Roly and Emelda, and children Ben and Ravin), was massacred in Negros Occidental.
The mother, Emelda, was a member of the Baclayan, Bito, Cabagal Farmers and Farmworkers Association (BABICAFA).
According to Karapatan, Roly and Emelda have also been experiencing harassment from the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
These human rights violations also bleed into the sector of environment defenders. Dexter Capuyan and Bazoo De Jesus, indigenous rights advocates, are yet to be surfaced.
They are the 7th and 8th enforced disappearance victims under Marcos Jr.
The attacks against indigenous peoples, our frontline environment defenders, have also persisted.
The Philippines has been labeled as one of the ost dangerous countries for environmental activists and land defenders in Asia.
On the economy, agriculture, and labor
In one of my previous articles, I also mentioned that “inflation has reached the country’s shores.”
This has only gotten worse since.
Everyday needs and goods are getting harder and harder to purchase for ordinary people.
This inflation has caused households to lose some of their income.
The recent wage hike of P40 per day is not substantial enough to cover this loss.
On the front of labor, Marcos Jr. said, “Rest assured that this administration is working conscientiously to […] uplift the living […] conditions of our workers and their families.”
However, on the concrete, Luke Espiritu, president of Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino, said while foreign investments can create more jobs, it markets Filipino workers as “cheap, flexible, [and] precarious labor.”
The provision of jobs is not only about creating jobs, but also making sure workers will be protected and compensated well in these jobs.
We have been leaning on foreign powers like a crutch–not just in the labor sector, but also in agriculture.
Since Marcos Jr. decided to head the Department of Agriculture, I wrote last year, “With one of these Cabinet heads being Marcos himself, we must expect him to truly lead us to a better place when it comes to food security.”
Despite this leadership, we still find ourselves importing goods to respond to high food prices.
We have been neglecting resolving the problems of local agriculture.
This importation not only entrenches us even more in a lack of production, it also brings loss to our farmers.
On public services: health and education
On the discussion of public services, we had hoped that face-to-face classes would be implemented at a much wider range as distance learning had sacrificed the quality of education.
On this end, we are somewhat successful. Most students have returned to school; even more of them will in the coming school year. Outside of this though, there is not much to celebrate.
As for our health sector, while the pandemic infections have slowed down, we still experienced a few surges.
The sector appears to struggle with management and protocols with the lack of a Department of Health secretary.
(Editor’s Note: President Marcos Jr. appointed Teodoro Herbosa secretary of the Department of Health on June 5, 2023.)
The demand for a salary increase for public school teachers and health workers has also gone ignored.
To think that people from these sectors have been some of the most gravely affected by the pandemic.
There is still much to discuss about the coming up SONA but these key points should give us enough perspective as to where we are a year later.
Are we better off?
Have Filipinos’ lives improved at all?
What do we want to hear for the next one, and what do we want to be done?