In the tail-end of his third and so far longest State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. ordered the ban of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators or POGOs.
He said POGOs have been disguising themselves as legitimate companies while committing “grave abuses” to Philippine systems and laws.
Marcos Jr. also reiterated that the West Philippine Sea belongs to the Philippines amid tensions with China.
Here are the rest of the highlights in chronological order:
Agriculture
- Good stats and data do not mean anything to ordinary Filipinos when rice is at P45-55 per kilo
- PBBM touts highest harvest rate since 1987 (over 20M tons) but supply is still not enough (equivalent to only over 3M tons of rice), forcing the country to import
- The government distributed needed materials and supplies to farmers, fishermen, etc.
- Government is making necessary measures (distribution of swine flu vaccine) to minimize impact on hog raisers
- More than 130,000 land titles have been awarded to beneficiaries
- Illegal price manipulations by hoarders and smuggling
- More than P2.7 billion worth of smuggled agri-fisheries products have been seized
- KADIWA centers will continue, more opened through assistance of LGUs
- 1,200 kilometers of farm to market routes to be finished this year
Water supply
- 45,000 hectares of land to be given irrigation; irrigation in 38,000 hectares of land to be revived
- Some irrigation projects are solar-powered
- Irrigation dams to supplement other bulk water projects and ensure water security
- Jalaur River multi-purpose project in Iloilo to benefit 32,000 hectares of land
- Project LAWA at BINHI or Local Adaptation to Water Access and Breaking Insufficiency through Nutritious Harvest—new storage for water to prepare and protect farmers from drought
Climate change impact
- Marcos discusses climate mitigation measures
- PH secured a seat on the Board of the Loss and Damage Fund (LDF); PH has also been selected as host country to that fund which gives PH a voice to access needed financial assistance for climate-related initiatives and impact
- DRRM workers acknowledged
- More than 100 evacuation centers built in the past two years
- In January of this year, the government started the operations of Disaster Response Command Center (DRCC) which will serve as a central hub for the government’s disaster response efforts
- More than 5,500 flood control projects have been completed while others are still undergoing across the country
- Cagayan De Oro River Flood Risk Management Project will provide long-term protection to a 600-hectare land and 60,000 Filipinos
- Pampanga Bay project to alleviate impacts of flood
Cleanup efforts
- In January, Kalinisan sa Bagong Pilipinas Program was launched and barangays cleaned up their own areas; within 5 months, more than 40,000 tons were collected by 22,000 barangays across the country
- There are widespread efforts to revive Pasig River
IT Infrastructure and Cybersecurity
- Approach is sustained, strategic, and on-schedule
- Infrastructure projects aim to aid education, health, energy, low-cost housing, transport, and information technology
- Internet and power infrastructure developments are continuously being upgraded
- Under the Free Wifi Program, around 10M unique user devices benefit in over 3,000 cities in the country. Most are situated in schools and far-flung areas.
- Phase 1 of the National Fiber Backbone project has been completed and operationalized; Phase 2 and 3 have already begun early this year and will be completed by 2026.
- As of 2022, only 77% of households were connected to the internet. Private sector partners are being tapped to ensure completion of projects that will allow more Filipinos to be connected to the internet.
- Ensure that the speed and quality of IT development mirrors the trajectory of the country’s economic aspirations
- PBBM approved the National Cybersecurity Plan to protect public and private sectors against cyberattacks
- PBBM recently signed into law the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act to protect Filipinos from online scams
Power Infrastructure
- Addressing power shortages especially in the underserved areas.
- Microgrid and off-grid systems and missionary Small Power Utilities supported by solar help address these power shortages
- Mariveles-Hermosa-San Jose transition line will strengthen reliability of power in Luzon
- Visayas: All stages of the Cebu-Negros-Panay Backbone Project have been completed; it will serve to stabilize the power situation in western and central Visayas and prevent power outages
- Dumanhug powerline in Cebu-Bohol was energized, allowing the transfer of power between Cebu and Bohol
- Mindanao–Visayas power grid connection enables power-sharing
- Finally, we have connected the power grid of the three main islands in the Philippines
- Unified Philippine Grid
- Electric/power bill
- We make sure that the prices are justified through the ff:
- Lifeline Rate program for underprivileged and beneficiaries of 4Ps
- Temporary suspension of the FIT-All tariff in the electric bill
- Anti-Bill Shock Lending Program
- Suspension of the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) during red alerts in Luzon and the Visayas grid
- Refund and eradication of over bills
- PBBM calls for coordination on revisiting, possibly amending EPIRA Law
Transport Infrastructure
- 12,000 kilometers worth of roads and more than 1,200 bridges have been built and upgraded across the country
- Budget was provided to upgrade 367 bridges and almost 1,600 km of road along the Maharlika Highway from Luzon to Mindanao
- Significant segments of major expressways that are part of the Luzon Spine Expressway Network have been open to the public
- The Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLEx) and NLEX Connector and the Plaridel Bypass will be fully completed this year
- CALAX and the C-5 Southlink will be fully operational by 2026
- Under the Inter-Island Linkage Bridge Program, two major bridges are expected to open this year
- Panguil Bay Bridge, the longest water-spanning bridge in northern Mindanao, will connect Misamis Occidental and Lanao del Norte
- Guicam Bridge in Zamboanga Sibugay will connect Olutanga Island to the mainland of Mindanao
- Travel to Clark Airport is now more convenient with the inauguration of the 20-km airport New Clark City Access Road in Pampanga
- Railway renaissance
- MRT 7 and North–South Commuter Railway are in progress
- Under the LRT-1 Cavite Extension Project
- LRT 1 will have additional routes/drop offs from Baclaran to Sucat
- In a few years, the line will reach Bacoor
- 76 new and modern trains are added
- PNR Bicol line spanning 100km from Naga to Legazpi was opened to the public
- Airports
- NAIA improved services in the coming years
- Soon to accommodate 48 flights per hour
- Catering to more than 62M passengers a year
- More than 70 airports and seaport development projects across the country have been completed
- 350 ongoing projects are set to be completed by 2028
- General Santos International Airport and Bicol International Airport
- Capacities have been expanded by 300 and 500%, now catering to 2000 and 1600 passengers respectively
- Batangas Port PTB
- Connects passengers to MIMAROPA, Visayas, and Mindanao
- Can now accommodate 8000 travelers anytime
- Public-Private Partnership (PPP)
- Facilitates strategic investments and timely development of projects under the Build Better More program
- NAIA PPP
- It will soon be a world-class international airport we can all be proud of
Health infrastructure
- UP Philippine General Hospital Cancer Center is the first PPP to be approved by Marcos administration
- Philippine Cancer Center of DOH
- Will be a God-send to more than 400,000 Filipinos with cancer
- Opened 20 urgent care centers across the country
- Ambulatory care for the poor and disadvantaged
- Super Health Centers
- Partnerships with LGUs that will increase the no. of doctors, nurses
- Provinces will have mobile clinics to provide people with laboratory exams and other medical services
PhilHealth benefits & health
- Expanded generic medicine provision from 21 to 53 (nerve pain and high blood pressure)
- Doubled benefits for severe illnesses such as pneumonia and acute stroke; limits have increased to P76,000 and P94,000
- Breast cancer treatment limit increased from P100,000 to P1.4M
- Cancer benefits
- Improved benefits for colon cancer
- Chemotherapy for cancers in the lungs, liver, ovary, and prostate to be included this year
- Enhanced medical and allied health programs
- Upskilling and training programs to increase human resources for health
- Vaccination, nutrition, mental health are being prioritized
- Ramped up vaccination in Region 6 and BARMM
Hunger and Malnutrition
- Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition (PPAN) will push through
- Converging programs to fight hunger and malnutrition have been successful
- Expanded school-based feeding programs saw promising results, according to a survey
- Walang Gutom 2027 program
- Rolled out from initial 2,300 to 300,000 food-poor households nationwide by year end
- Aims to feed 1 million most food-poor families by 2027
- To focus on addressing malnutrition of the first two years of a child’s life
- Proposed in the 2025 budget a new grant under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) to ensure nutrition of children and mothers
- Ensure vaccination
- Medical and health support
- DOST is undertaking scientific research to develop nutritious food and drinks
Mental health
- DOH launched Comprehensive Mental Health plan
- Ensured sufficient supply of medications
- PhilHealth released mental health package in its programs
Sports/ PH athletes
- Launched Palarong Pambansa after three-year hiatus
- Expressed support, continuous backing from government
- Gov’t support for sports programs
- 28 athletes competing in Paris for the Olympics
Education
- Prioritized and increased budget for the inclusive development of Filipinos in education and training
- More than half of our grades 6, 10 and 12 students have failed to reach the ideal proficiency levels, faring low in information literacy, problem solving, and critical thinking
- National Recovery Program will be strategically calibrated so that our youth are not just literate but are developed into problem solvers and critical thinkers, hungry for success, ready for the future
- Bridge digital gap with intensity; students will be equipped with computers, smart TVs, essential programs, and access to reliable power and internet
- Digital power and solar electricity must become standard features in schools and classrooms: Educational Reform through technology
- Production of instructional materials should be up to date, no errors, must be ensured
- Process of approval of manuscript to procurement will be cut short from 3 years to 1 year.
- Challenge for new Department of Education Secretary Sonny Angara: Make sure to elevate the quality of education in the country ASAP
- Quality of education rests on the quality of teachers
- As we upgrade schools, we will also upskill our teachers whose competence and trademark Filipino patience, determination, and compassion will be at the core of our nation’s education recovery.
- Additional employees to support teachers so that they can focus on teaching
- Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo Act – teachers in public schools will get annual teaching allowance for teaching equipment and other teaching related expenses. The program will start next year
- Personal Accident Insurance from GSIS
- Special Hardship Allowance for public school teachers who experience hardships and dangers at work
- No more utang-tagging for teachers that hinders renewal of license
- Allocated funds to implement the expanded career progression system for public school teachers
- Promote professional development and career advancement within their ranks
- Two major career paths–teaching and school admin
- Ample career growth opportunities
- Under this administration, there will be no more public school teacher who will retire only as Teacher 1
Higher Education
- 87 of our higher educational institutions have made it into world rankings. 51 are public universities and colleges
- Significant rise in enrollment in higher education in public and private schools
- 8/10 graduates of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) land decent jobs.
- DepEd, CHED, TESDA incorporate TVET to boost employability of our students.
- Filipinovation and Malikhaing Pinoy Program have been launched which encourages people to share ideas, generate solutions, and drive innovation across the country
- PBBM: The IT and creative sectors are burgeoning industries knowing no territorial bounds
- Advance learning systems and technologies in the areas of robotics, artificial intelligence and the internet of things shall be made available in TVET centers nationwide.
- Highly technical and professional level training courses will be launched in the cybersecurity and creatives industries.
- Of our globally ranked HEIs, 63 have made it to the WURI Global Top 300 Innovative Universities.
- Mabalacat City College, Pampanga awarded Technological or Digital Innovation of the Year.
- Samar State University topped ranking for its digitally pioneering R&D project entries
- Relevant scholarships and R&D grants will continue to be available to foster startups.
- Intellectual property rights enforcement and financing have been put into place to commercialize and support R&D
AI and Space Technology
- Building infrastructure to support the ethical artificial intelligence system for high-impact practical applications.
- Our satellites in space have generated more than 51,000 maps, images, and space-borne data for various purposes.
- This guides our strategies and decision-making in agricultural development, urban planning, and environmental management. Including maritime awareness.
- Countrymen who have carved out their niche as pioneering space scientists and engineers in collaboration with local space tech companies that provide additional impetus.
- 60 of our space engineers are in the UK resuming work on the development of the Multispectral Unit for Land Assessment or the MULA satellite. Once completed, it will be the largest earth observation in space.
Labor
- Employment rate has increased to 95.9%
- Saw significant increase in high-quality jobs.
- Underemployment has decreased from 11.7% in May 2023 to 9.9% today. Lowest number since 2005.
- Increase in middle-skilled employment, wage and salary employment, and full-time jobs.
- These are “good news amid the food inflation.”
- Adaptive and responsive social protection programs assist our countrymen in times of dire need, reaching those in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.
- Develop their productive potential and bridge capacity to self sufficiency.
- 4Ps has not only accomplished its annual targets but proven its efficacy.
- Since last year’s SONA, more than 420 families have graduated from the program.
- More than 4,000 4Ps graduates are licensed teachers. 35 are topnotchers from different bar exams.
- 4Ps beneficiaries: Davao Oriental teacher Khane Jevie Rose Cervantes from Cateel, Davao Oriental, no. 1 in the teacher licensure exam. Engineer Alexis Alegado, no. 1 in civil engineer board exams last year.
PWD and Senior Citizens
- PWDs can be assured of the government’s effective implementation of beneficial policies and programs that will guarantee equitable opportunities, interventions, and incentives.
- Next year PhilHealth will launch benefits for children with disabilities
- Double benefits for PWDs and Senior Citizens for basic necessities and prime commodities
Public-Private Partnerships in employment and wages
- Tripartite consensus minimum wage levels have been increased in various sectors in all regions including BARMM for workers in private establishments.This will bring comfort to 4M Filipinos and their families.
- For gov’t employees, medical allowance will be given next year as an added benefit.
- They will also receive augmented salaries in 4 trenches starting this year and in the years to come.
- Extended services in job order and contract of service personnel working in government.
- This will afford them the opportunity to work on civil service eligibility while gaining additional training to upgrade their employment qualifications.
Investments and job generation
- Aggressive infrastructure development, business-friendly policies, investment, and export promotions, foreign and economic missions visits are all aimed to not just generate jobs but quality and competitive jobs.
- Investment pledges have commenced operations with many more at various stages of development.
- More than economic income, this will generate over 200,000 job opportunities for Filipinos.
- CREATE Act’s rationalized incentive scheme generated investments amounting to over P1T and 100,000 new jobs.
- “These promising state of affairs beckon us to create more through the passage of CREATE MORE Act”
Government services
- Digitalization, integration, and streamlining of processes produced multiplier effects. Cost savings translated to higher revenues and speedy transactions.
- This addressed time consuming procedures that hindered productivity from the government.
- More systems are digital and cashless, assimilating individuals, MSMEs, agricultural workers, expedited transactions and commercial exchanges.
- Paleng-QR (Palengke QR) is booming and more Filipinos are using it.
- Bolstering Cybercrime Prevention Act with the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act will protect the public by heightening the responsibility and security system of banks and financial institutions.
- Imposing high criminal liabilities on social engineering schemes and money mules.
- Job placement has seen significant progress through Public Employment Service Offices or PESO. It harnessed IT capabilities and boast a job placement success rate of 98%
- Shortened timelines saw an increase in new business and corp registration, including foreign firms which surpassed last year’s.
- Choke points in the food supply chains are now being removed and identified gaps are being filled in to make them efficient and seamless.
- Approval of energy projects are moving towards complete virtual integration. Expedited processing of flagship Build Better More Program will also follow.
- Digital infrastructure will be strengthened courtesy of common towers that tripled in number since last year.
- Air transport and tourism have been made more convenient because of the shift to paperless and e-travel system.
- Piloted e-gates will be standard fixtures at airports to facilitate ease of mobility.
- E-visa will be next in PH digital transformation agenda
Tourism
- Pre-pandemic data present challenge “that we must surpass”
- Infrastructure and digital reforms and the development and enhancements of tourism sites are all calculated to boost productivity of the tourism sector.
- Interpose a wholesome and hospitable Filipino key program to all tourism touchpoints from arrival to departure.
- Tourism now requires a multifaceted strategy. The focus now is on experiential tourism. Food, culture, heritage, arts, education, halal, Islamic traditions, dive, cruise, traditions, and even sports now potent subjects of tourism
- This is imperative and we must expand our understanding of One Town, One Product or OTOP concept. It must not inhibit but rather inspire and seek an optimal number of high quality products and services that will showcase PH history, tradition, and talent.
OFW
- According to BSP, OFWs generated over $30B remittances last year.
- More than thank yous, we honor them for helping the PH economy.
- Through like-minded partnerships we are able to promote our mutual interests resulting in not just local investments but also in quality jobs for our nationals seeking foreign employment.
- The UN has adopted resolutions on promoting and protecting the enjoyment of human rights of seafarers.
- We continue to help our OFWs with added facilities and services like OFW Lounge at NAIA and Seafarers Hub in Manila.
- OFWs affected by various chaotic environments (wars) like in Israel, Gaza, Sudan, Lebanon, and Yemen were assisted and brought home safely.
- We also helped OFWs affected by calamities and crises in Taiwan and New Zealand.
- Returning OFWs and their families are given support to be able to start a new life and secure employment or start a business.
- Saudi Arabia started giving out cheques to OFWs who got laid off.
Peace, Order, and BARMM
- Police, military, and coast guard undergo continuous capacity building and asset training.
- Observed an overall decrease in crime rate and improvement in crime solution efficiency nationwide
- In tandem with the justice system, law enforcement must continue to earn the trust of the people and successfully foster a culture of accountability that will prevent corruption
- No more guerilla fronts remain; former combatants have been reabsorbed into the community, with some former rebels being absorbed into the AFP and PNP BARMM
- Newly signed New Government Procurement Act will make sure government procurement will be modern, streamlined, and at par with global practices
- Marawi Rehabilitation Project ongoing, now under the Office of the President
- PBBM assured that the government will comply with their commitments under the peace agreement with BARMM
- BARMM’s poverty index decreased since 2018; the region also received a 140% increase in investments year-on-year
- Five of BARMM’s essential laws have already been enacted, and is ready for its first elections
War on Drugs
- Bloodless war against dangerous drugs will continue to adhere to the established and effective anti-illegal drug strategy; extermination was never one of them
- In more than 71,500 operations, it resulted in the seizure of more than P44 billion worth of illegal drugs and the arrest of more than 97,000 drug personalities, more than 6,000 of those arrested were high-value targets, 440 were government employees, of whom 42 were uniformed personnel and 77 were elected officials
- Drug conviction rate is at 79%
- Drug-affected barangays have been reduced by 32%
Territorial dispute
- PH finds ways to de-escalate tensions in contested areas without compromising its principles
- PBBM: We cannot yield, we cannot waver
- Developing self-reliance and partnerships with like-minded states
- “Ang West PH Sea ay hindi kathang isip, ito ay atin”
- We will ensure this intergenerational mandate will be in the hearts and minds of Filipinos
- To the AFP, PCG, fishermen in West PH Sea: Accept the nation’s heartfelt gratitude for your vigilance and sacrifice
Economy
- Healthy signs of post-pandemic resilience
- Poverty rate has significantly dropped to 15.5 percent from 18 percent in 2021, 16.7 percent in 2018; equivalent to 500,000 Filipinos who rose from poverty
- Government will continue to help people get out of poverty
- Promoting investment-led growth; set policies conducive for businesses to thrive like greenlanes
- Greenlane-certified around 100 projects with total investment of about P3 trillion across renewable energy, digital infrastructure, food security and manufacturing
- Tax and non-tax collection have been more efficient
- GOCCs (Government-owned and controlled corporation) remitted dividends of combined tally exceeding contributions in 2022
- Proposed gov’t budget crafted with utmost care, meticulous attention
POGO
- PBBM: Effective today, all POGOs are banned
- POGOs disguise as “legitimate companies” and have been committing “grave abuses to our systems and our laws”
- Instructed PAGCOR to wind down and cease all POGO operations by the end of the year
- DOLE, in coordination with economic managers, will help provide new jobs for Filipinos affected by this ban
The full livestream of Marcos Jr.’s 3rd SONA is on the website of Radio Television Malacanang while the full transcript is on the website of the Presidential Communications Office.