ICYMI: Marcos addresses PH in SONA after 1st full term
Words By: Hanns Cruz
Screengrabbed from: RTVMalacanang's YouTube Channel
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivered his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 24, 2023, reporting the administration's achievements and planned agenda for the coming years in office. In his speech last Monday, he claimed that the state of the nation is "sound and is improving.”
Addressing the current state of the country's economy, Marcos acknowledged the challenge of inflation stating that the Philippines remains among the fastest-growing economies and stated inflation is moving in the right direction. The country achieved a remarkable 7.6% economic growth in 2022, the highest in 46 years.
However, according to recent surveys, many Filipinos identify inflation as one of many insistent problems today. The Philippines is ranked one of the fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia, but falls behind other Asian countries with Macau having a 38% increase, and Armenia with 12%.
Marcos also reinstated the implementation of the Maharlika Investment fund, which was said to be a small fraction of the considerable but underutilized government funds. These, according to him, will be used for high-impact and profitable investments such as the Build-Better-More program.
The President also pledged to hire internationally recognized economic managers who will make investment decisions free from political influences. Moreover, funds for social security and public health insurance will remain independent from the Maharlika Investment Fund.
He also mentioned the ongoing agrarian reforms and recent approval of the New Agrarian Emancipation Act, which writes off loans for agrarian reform beneficiaries.
Concerning energy sources, Marcos vowed to raise the share of renewable energy in the country's power generation mix, with the aim of achieving total electrification in the country by 2028.
On the subject of healthcare, Marcos plans to expand the country’s medical and nursing programs to address the need for healthcare professionals and contribute to the pursuit of universal healthcare. To address hunger and nutrition-related issues, the President introduced convergent programs such as the Food Stamp Program, which aims to provide nutrition assistance to the million most food-poor Filipinos. Beneficiaries receive monthly electronic benefit transfer cards worth P3000 in food credits.
Marcos emphasized the need for a stronger healthcare system, highlighting priority fundamental enhancements which include (1) catching up on the routine vaccinations of children, (2) development of a strategic and comprehensive plan to suppress the rise of tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, (3) increased public health facilities in number and capability, with more than 3,400 projects completed in 2022, (4) established and integrated specialty centers in government hospitals, (5) decrease in the prices of primary medications by 40-90%, (6) expansion of PhilHealth coverage through: (a) Konsulta Package and (b) expanding hemodialysis coverage, (7) additional assistance under the Medical Assistance for Indigent Patients (MAIP) program, (8) deployment of doctors to 200 municipalities across the country, and vowing to deploy a doctor for each of the remaining 19 municipalities that have none available.
To address learning compromised by the pandemic, Marcos allotted 70% of the national budget to sectors including education, to implement relevant curriculum reforms via the Department of Education's (DepEd) MATATAG and K to 10 program. Other initiatives like the youth employment project and skills development training have been implemented. Qualified students may attend state universities and colleges without cost. Around 2 million college students enrolled without expense from the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education program.
Marcos also emphasized how local higher education institutes (HEIs) are increasingly becoming renowned on a global scale, with 52 Philippine HEIs now listed in the World Universities Rankings compared to 15 last year.
He also plans to address the infrastructure and classroom shortage by building new structures and renovating existing ones to be climate-ready, disaster-proof, and suitable for hybrid and high-tech learning.
Revisiting the controversial war on drugs, Marcos stated that it has taken on “a new face”, now focusing on treatment and rehabilitation. He promised a zero-tolerance policy for corruption and incompetence in the current administration.
“We will relentlessly continue our fight against drug syndicates, shutting down their illegal activities. We will shut down their activities and dismantle their network of operations," he said.
In closing, President Marcos urged all lawmakers to pass priority measures, which include proposed tax reforms, amendments to the Fisheries Code, the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act, and the Cooperative Code, as well as to the pension system of the military and uniformed personnel to avoid a potential fiscal collapse.
