QUINDAO, Gaile Denisse R.

BSBA FM 2-7S

REACTION PAPER FOR SONA 2019

The 22nd of July, 2019 marked the fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President
Rodrigo Roa Duterte at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City which lasted for more than an hour
and a half. The president’s speech was delayed for about an hour due to bad weather condition that
prevented his presidential helicopter from making the trip from Bahay ng Pagbabago to the
Batasan Complex.

Halfway through his six-year term, President Duterte laid down the plans of his
administration for his remaining three years in the office. Opening his speech at exactly 5:15 pm,
President Duterte started by extending his gratitude in all who kept faith with him in most trying
times. He also emphasized the result of the latest survey of Pulse Asia regarding his disapproval
rating that is only 3 percent. Some of the highlights of his speech include matters regarding illegal
drugs and corruption on which he assured that the administration will continue the fight until his
term ends. Duterte also tackled about his desire to reinstitute death penalty for heinous crimes
related to drugs as well as plunder. The president also expressed his disappointment about the
massive fraud against the public health insurance system which proves that corruption is still
prevalent; And so he appointed a new PhilHealth president which he claimed to be a man of
integrity. Regarding the matters of GOCCs, President Duterte said that as of July 9, 2019, they
collected more than 61 billion pesos from government corporations and 16 billion from PAGCOR.
The Bureau of Customs which is known to be “corruption-ridden”, was able to collect
P585,000,000,000 in 2018. The president pointed out that if the BOC could be cleansed, there
could have been more to collect from their ill operations. Duterte also mentioned the rehabilitation
made for Boracay Island. He also plans to declare the whole island a land reform program and give
piece by piece to the Aetas which are the natives of the place. On Manila Bay Rehabilitation, the
administration will shut down establishments that pollute the waters and they will also relocate
informal settlers along waterways. On the matters regarding the entry of the Third
Telecommunications Company, Duterte ensured the public that “there is no corruption at all.” The
president also highlighted that after 2 decades of peace negotiations, the Bangsamoro Organic Law
was finally passed. He also hopes that Bangsamoro Transition will aid the establishment of
regional government that will secure indigenous communities in the Bangsamoro region. On
matters relating to the education system of the country, the president praised DepEd Secretary
Leonor Briones since more Filipinos are receiving basic education. The president also shared his
approval to the proposed creation of the National Academy of Sports for High School students. He
also mentioned that the Congress has to postpone the May 2020 elections and Barangay
Sanggunian Kabataan to October 2022. On West Philippine Sea Dispute, Duterte emphasized “I
am not ready or inclined the occurrence of more destruction, more widows, more orphans, should
war even on a limited scale, breaks out.” President Duterte also asked the Congress to pass the tax
reform program and excise tax. He also commands to pass the Trabaho Bill and the Salary
Standardization Law. Moreover, he also urged the Congress about the creation of the Department
of Water Resources, Department of Disaster Resilience, and fire protection program. Regarding
the Metro Manila Traffic, Duterte reiterated his request to MMDA to undertake immediate action
about this matter due to the fact that this creates economic losses at 3.5 billion pesos a day due to
traffic congestion in Manila. Duterte also mentioned that he wants the National Land Use Act to
be passed this year. The president also instructed government offices that they should release
business permits within three days. He also mentioned Land Bank should help the coconut farmers.
Lastly, President Duterte urged the Congress to pass the National Defense Act and revive the
Mandatory ROTC. He ended his speech saying “A comfortable life for the Filipinos in the next
three years... I dream the Philippines better than I grew up with.”

The concerns that caught the most of my interest are the President’s take regarding the
issues about the West Philippine Sea, the continuation of war on drugs and the constant
reassurance of the President that he does not tolerate corruption. As we all know, the issue about
our fellow Filipino fishermen’s complaints against the bullying and illegal entry of the Chinese
fishermen in the waters of our territory made a huge impact on the nationalistic sentiment of the
Filipinos. It opened the eyes of many to see how small other countries think of us, Filipinos, given
the fact that they have the audacity to just enter our waters and fight for the sovereignty of our own
native territory. What President Duterte said in his speech regarding the authority in the West
Philippine Sea is just concerning since he chose not to take action on fighting for it since he is
afraid that it can lead to war and Philippines is nothing against China—which is correct at some
point. But we should also consider that other “small countries”, such as Indonesia, stood up and
fought for their rights against China through a diplomatic way. In conclusion, we have the choice
to defend our country's sovereignty and not just let other nations exploit our resources. The matter
regarding the continuation of the war on drugs has also caught my attention since the current
administration focuses more on solving drug-related issues in the country—which is a good thing
since it aids to eradicate the use of illegal drugs to promote a better society to live in. But then, this
advocacy seemed to become out of hand due to the fact that it became detrimental even for those
who do not use any illegal medication. Furthermore, this “war on drugs” has also led to numerous
cases of human rights violations and up until now, our government still choose to turn a blind eye
regarding these alarming issues. Lastly, the constant reassurance of President Duterte that he does
not tolerate corruption despite of freeing some of the famous plunderers of our country clearly
manifests his hypocrisy.