PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. heartened his countrymen by giving them assurances his administration, in mid-point of his six-year rule, will address the challenges confronting them in his fourth State of the Nation Address at the Batasang Pambansa complex.
Members of the Senate, the House of Representatives and the diplomatic corps applauded the 67-year-old chief executive for 92 times – including two standing ovations – as he outlined his government’s blueprint in the last three years of his administration ending in 2028.
He sketched outlines his administration will push in the different sectors to uplift the lives of 117 million Filipinos, and harshly warned those who would take advantage of the situation in the different sectors like agriculture, education, public works, and the transportation zone.
He said it was not enough the government should be building better and more infrastructure projects but that the quality for such be high, pointing to some previous projects where millions of funds were alloted only to crumble down when they were opened.
He gave Filipinos a glimpse of measures in the 4Ps, the conditional cash transfer program implemented by the government which aims to improve the health, nutrition, and education of children from poor households by providing cash grants to eligible families who comply with specific conditions, and benefits derived from PhilHealth.
His diagram on modules for the education, transport sector, and the need for internet connectivity as from the elementary grades for learners and educators, the need for peace nationwide, the continuing war on illegal drugs, foreign policy, and the continuing storms that hit the country showed the President’s grasp of the challenging corridor confronting his countrymen.
His call for sacrifice to help each other, chased by his tough rebuke against those taking advantage of the helpless in face of disasters merited a standing ovation from his audience, as he spoke in Filipino, the better for everyone tuned in to the live stream to know that their leader meant business.
Conspicuously absent was Vice President Sara Duterte, even as protesters rallied outside of the complex not far from where the President was speaking.
The fourth SONA beats the drum on the Chief executive’s mid-term in his six-year presidency, seen as crucial for his government’s orchestration and authority.
It follows reports the President’s trust rating increased by double digits – 10 percentage points from 38 percent in May to 48 percent in June – for the first time since last year, per a Social Weather Stations survey, the ordinary Joe must be satisfied the President was able to address their immediate concerns.
The SONA also came after inflation slowing slowed appreciably, down to 1.4 percent in June while food stamp coverage is visibly expanding, with 750,000 families expected to benefit in the next couple of years.
Verily, the President’s SONA crafted his true legacy for his countrymen and the younger generations with this mid-term moment in his six-year rule.
Definitely he will be remembered as a leader who stood up to confront the challenges faced by his countrymen, particularly those in the lower rung of society and provided visual solutions to address or overhaul them where necessary.
We know the President will go beyond the echoes of those applause and standing ovations and see what measures to be done, his mind on the ordinary Filipinos whose hope must not fade with drizzling Monday’s sunset.
