PBBM to highlight social protection agenda for people in need
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he will focus on social welfare and protection projects that would uplift the lives of ordinary Filipinos during his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) today.
His fourth SONA will report accomplishments in the past three years, as well as legacy projects for the latter half of his term.
“We will talk about the programs that we have initiated and will continue to promote and endorse,” Mr. Marcos said.
“Hopefully these will continue after my term,” he added.
Today’s address comes after a series of typhoons battered several parts of the country, prompting House and Senate leaders to call for austerity measures that includes doing away with unnecessary floral arrangements and decorations and even forgoing lavish catering.
A memorandum signed by House Secretary-General Reginald Velasco said there will be no more staged.
“Members are respectfully urged to avoid ostentatious displays and exercise discretion in their wardrobe choices,” Velasco said.
The Senate will implement the same “no red carpet” protocol today.
Senator Francis Escudero said there will only be “suitable access and opportunity for media to perform their job of covering the opening” of the 20th Congress.
Aside from climate preparedness amid the onslaught of extreme weather conditions, the President is expected to discuss key issues such as the P20/kilo rice program, online gambling, external concerns that include the impact of the US tariff on local exporters, and perhaps even the uncertain future of the impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte.
According to Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa, the “Benteng Bigas Meron (BBM) Na” program has benefitted close to 1 million Filipinos already.
De Mesa said the target is to make “BBM Na” available to 15 million beneficiaries by 2028.
The issue of online gambling is also seen to be highlighted in today’s SONA.
Church leaders, civil society organizations and some lawmakers have pushed for a total ban, but the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation said stricter regulation is needed instead.
“Many families are being destroyed by it (online gambling), especially if it is used irresponsibly,” Mr. Marcos said in a recent vlog.
His recent trip to the US is also expected to be part of his fourth address to the nation.
Mr. Marcos, after a meeting with US President Donald Trump, secured a one percentage point reduction from the originally announced 20 percent reciprocal tariff on Philippine exports.
While the new tariff rate of 19 percent remains relatively high, it is the second-lowest tariff rate in the region, next only to the 10 percent of Singapore, which already has a bilateral Free Trade Agreement with the US.
The President likewise brought home $21 billion in investment pledges and $63 million in development assistance from his Washington trip.
Meanwhile, the energy sector is hopeful the SONA will put emphasis on energy security through nuclear and renewable energy (RE), and paving the way for a clear path toward energy transition.
“We hope the SONA will reinforce policy directions that promote greater private sector participation, faster permitting, stronger support for diverse energy sources, and investments in grid modernization,” Meralco PowerGen Corp. president Emmanuel Rubio said.
“We hope that the President stays the course and sustains the growth of the RE sector. No less than the International Labor Organization forecasted the creation of 350,000 jobs by 2030,” Tetchi Capellan of Philippine Solar and Storage Energy Alliance added.
Duterte’s impeachment trial, which faces an uncertain future after the Supreme Court junked the complaint against her as unconstitutional, could also be mentioned in Mr. Marcos’ SONA.
In an interview in May, the President said he has consistently made clear his position against pursuing any impeachment.
“How many times do I have to say that? I didn’t want impeachment,” Mr. Marcos said.
Duterte will skip today’s SONA for the second straight year, choosing instead to join a “Free Duterte Rally” in South Korea.
“We have no law that says it is the duty of Filipinos to listen to the President. What the law states is that it is the President’s duty to report to us, the Filipino people, on the state of our nation,” she said.
