What Marcos said in his second SONA...

• P14.6 billion have been allocated for water supply projects. An example that Marcos provided is the Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project in NCR and Rizal. Build-Better-More program

• About 83% of the program is to build roads, bridges, seaports, airports and mass transports.

• Infrastructure spending is expected to be at 5 to 6% of the country’s GDP.

• Travel time from Ilocos to Bicol will be reduced to just 9 hours from 20 hours with the Luzon Spine Expressway Network Program.

• Twelve bridges will be constructed for the Mega-Bridge program that aims to connect islands and areas separated by waters. Among the bridges included will link the following lands: BataanCavite, Panay-Guimaras-Negros and Samal-Davao City.

• Over 4,000 km of roads and 500 bridges have been constructed, maintained and upgraded as of June 2023, Marcos said.

• Cebu Pier 88 smart port, Clark Airport and Calapan Port have new passenger terminal buildings.

• Marcos said that the North-South Commuter Railway System is already fully operating. This is part of his railway project covering over 1,000 km.

• Marcos wants to use the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) to partially fund the Build-Better-More program.

“In pooling a small fraction of the considerable but underutilized government funds, the MIF shall be used to make high-impact and profitable investments, such as the Build-BetterMore program,” he said.

Energy

• Eight new additional power plants have been built, increasing energy production by 1,174 megawatts.

• Marcos said 500,000 homes were provided with electricity. He claims that a 100% electrification of households is “within our reach.”

• There are 299 active solar projects, 187 wind projects, 436 hydroelectric projects, 58 biomass projects, 36 geothermal projects and 9 oceanpowered projects.

• Marcos claims the Malampaya project has benefited the country, providing 20% energy for Luzon.

• To push for more gas exploration in the country for energy sources.

• The Unified National Grid is said to “enable more efficient transfers and competitive pricing” of electricity. Sixty-eight projects under this program, however, is “much delayed.”

Employment

• Marcos said there are sufficient funds to train those without a livelihood.

• The government’s Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens, Social Equity, Cash-for-Work for persons with disabilities and Integrated Livelihood Program-Kabuhayan for small businesses are among the programs Marcos lauded. No relevant figures or findings on these programs were mentioned in the report.

• Increased employment rate to 95.7% as of May 2023.

• Marcos wants to “nurture the growth” of services from the Information Technology-Business Process Management and tourism industries.

Military and Uniformed Personnel (MUP) Pension

“Efforts are underway to make it fully functional and financially sustainable,” Marcos said.

He added that the pension reforms will have no impact on MUP. According to the proposed bill, the pension of retirees is tied to that of an active personnel of the same rank. Should the latter experience an increase in salary, so will the retired personnel.

Marcos did not elaborate on specific plans for the MUP pension.

Education

• Nine in ten newly created teaching positions have been filled and more administrative personnel have been hired.

• Adopt blended learning permanently.

• Build more classrooms and facilities, including climate-ready schools.

• Recalibrate the K to 10 curriculum to strengthen literacy and numeracy skills.

• More higher educational institutions have been included in the World University Rankings in 2023.

• Nearly 50% of the 4.1 million enrolled college students benefit from the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education program for free tuition.

• Science and technology-related scholarships are made available from high school all the way to graduate school, Marcos said.

Science and Technology

• Forty-four Filipino scientists have returned to the Philippines under the Balik-Scientist Program to produce research in various fields.

• Two additional satellites have been launched into space for meteorological, geological, risk and security assessments.

• Improved maritime education

• Expanding medical and nursing education programs

Healthcare

• The Food Stamp Program was launched. This will provide beneficiaries who are “food poor” with P3,000 worth of food credits in the latter half of 2023.

• “As of this year, more than 80% of our eligible children have been vaccinated against measles, rubella, and polio,” Marcos said.

• Marcos mentioned the “alarming rise” of tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a first in all Philippine SONAs.

• Sixty specialty centers opened to the public in 2022, while 3,400 projects to construct more public health facilities were completed.

• Marcos claimed that prices of essential medications have decreased by about 40%.

• The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation’s Konsulta Package has increased the number of free dialysis sessions to 156 from 90 in 2022.

• Marcos only mentioned that the government is working on addressing the shortage of nurses and doctors. He did not lay down any concrete plan.

Foreign relations

• Marcos touted the total estimated investments from his “economic missions” abroad, which amounts to US$71 billion or P3.9 trillion investment. It was said to have the potential to generate 175,000 jobs.

Tourism

• For the first half of 2023, the country has received three million international visitors.

Digitalization

• About 42% of total retail payments were made digitally in 2022.

• E-Government Philippines (eGov PH), the government’s super app, was launched to integrate all key government services in one mobile app. The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) also launched its own DMW Mobile for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs)

• Internet speed was said to have improved, with the country ranked 83 out of 142 countries, eight places higher than in 2022.

• Marcos urged the Department of Information Communications Technology (DICT) to establish the National Government Portal and Philippine Business Databank alongside the eGov PH app.

OFWs

• OFWs contributed US$32.5 billion or P1.8 trillion pesos through remittances in 2022.

• Seventy thousand OFWs were deployed to Saudi Arabia for employment.

• The unpaid salaries of 14,000 OFWs who worked in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic are currently being processed. Housing

• Over 100,000 availed of a housing loan from Pag-IBIG amounting to P117 billion in total.

• Over 148,000 houses and 30,000 certificates of eligibility for lot award have been distributed across the country.

• The government launched the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Housing Program (4PH)

Climate change

• Marcos said that the Philippines is sometimes “over-prepared” for natural hazards and calamities.

• More evacuation centers are to be built, 55 have already been completed.

• Marcos only mentions reducing carbon footprint and protecting forests, with no concrete plans included.

Government

• Marcos called on Congress to enact a new Government Procurement Law and a new Government Auditing Code.

• Marcos said, “almost all of the required Devolution Transition Plans” of the local government units are complete.

Marawi

• “Former adversaries are now partners in peace,” Marcos said.

• Marcos said the rehabilitation of Marawi City is in the phase of providing financial support for victims of the Marawi siege.

Illegal drugs

• The government will follow a community-based treatment, rehabilitation, education and reintegration.

• An additional 102 Balay Silangan Reformation Centers have been established. (Philstar.com) n