Senator Ramon Revilla, Jr. on Thursday said he is positive that President Marcos’s third State of the Nation Address (SONA) will adequately and comprehensively report the administration’s progress in addressing the country’s most pressing concerns.
Among these are lowering the prices of some basic goods, fixing the problems on wages, jobs and food security, pushing for social justice and strengthening our national security.
In a report released by Pulse Asia this July 2024, controlling inflation remains to be the top national concern. According to the survey, 72 percent of Filipino adults believe that soaring prices of basic commodities should be addressed immediately.
Revilla said he is looking forward to hearing during SONA the next steps of the President in slowing inflation in the country.
“But I would like to echo his words that the current inflation rate is still within the government’s target of two to four percent… While it is a genuine concern, it remains under control,” the lawmaker said.
Compared to June 2023 when the headline inflation rate was at 5.4 percent, the June 2024 inflation rate of 3.7 percent is significantly lower, according to Revilla.
He noted that inflation rates since the start of the year are all within the target set by the government. Because of this, he is convinced that the government is doing something right.
Revilla also hopes the President will discuss where the nation is already on its roadmap to ensure food security.
Concerning the promotion of social justice, he thanked the President for approving the legislation he championed in the 19th Congress that would greatly benefit what he referred to as “the least, the lost, and the last.”
Revilla’s Expanded Centenarians Act (RA 11982), which the President approved last February 2024, will grant P10,000 cash gift to senior citizens, who will reach the age of 80, 85, 90, and 95, apart from the P100,000 they will be receiving when they live up to 100 years old.
His “Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo Act” (RA 11997), meanwhile, institutionalized the increase from P5,000 to P10,000 of public school teachers’ teaching allowance.
The President also approved Revilla’s “No Permit, No Exam Prohibition Act” (RA 11984) banning the said policy in schools and mandating them to accommodate and allow disadvantaged students unable to pay tuition and other fees to take examinations.
The “Free College Entrance Examinations Act” (RA 12006) has recently become law, which mandates all private higher education institutions to waive the entrance examinations fees and charges imposed on students applying for college admission provided that they meet certain requirements.
