A wish list for the second Sona

The second State of the Nation Address to be delivered by President Marcos on Monday, July 24, is expected to be different from the Sona he delivered last year. In 2022, the new President articulated his vision and plans for the country. He was starting from a clean slate.

This time, Mr. Marcos already has his first year in office as reference. He is expected to list the early achievements of his administration. More importantly, he will tell us how he intends to build on these initial gains for the remainder of his term.

There are many things that demand government attention, but we at Stratbase are eager to hear Mr. Marcos commit to several critical aspects of government. Specifically, we await his next courses of action on governance, on the West Philippine Sea, on energy and the environment, and the economy.

A Stratbase-commissioned Pulse Asia survey conducted last month revealed that graft and corruption remained among the top five most urgent national concerns among Filipinos. Mr. Marcos would do well to enumerate the progress of his administration on e-governance, bureaucratic efficiency, digitalization, and budget modernization. Good governance entails practices and procedures which ensure that government decisions, especially when it comes to taxpayer money, are made in a fair, transparent, and accountable manner. Moreover, the participation of citizens is an indispensable factor in nation-building.

Last week, we commemorated the seventh anniversary of the decision handed down by the Permanent Court of Arbitration that China’s claims—and its aggressive posturing—on the West Philippine Sea do not have any basis in international law. Against this backdrop, we note that the Philippines, under this administration, has already filed hundreds of diplomatic protests against China’s activities in the West Philippine Sea. This is a cause for concern because it shows China’s blatant disregard of the rules-based international order. China’s recent statement that the Arbitral Award is “illegal, null, and void” merits a response as well, for the President to deliver a strong and steadfast message that the Philippines will continue to uphold its rights, our victory in the arbitral court ruling, and the international rules-based order. The Sona will be a perfect opportunity for him to reiterate that we will not yield a single inch of territory to any foreign power.

This is also a good time for the President to acknowledge that our friendships and alliances with like-minded states are making a big difference in our efforts to defend our territorial integrity. He will also do well to highlight that our foreign policy is driven by nothing but our national interest. With regard to energy and the environment, we would like Mr. Marcos to mention the need to transition into a well-balanced mix of clean and renewable, and conventional energy sources as we try to strike a delicate balance between meeting our current and long-term needs, and our commitments to protect the planet. This will also be a good time to emphasize that we are not mere inhabitants of the earth, but stewards of its resources.

Recently released statistics point to a slow but cautious improvement from the battering that we took during the pandemic. Inflation slowed to 5.4 percent in June, while unemployment declined to 4.3 percent in May. Business sentiment improved during the second quarter, with overall confidence index increasing to 40.8 percent from 34.0 percent the previous quarter.

Still, there is so much room for improvement. Foremost among these is the fact that our consumer-driven economy is vulnerable to external shocks and other disruptions. We at Stratbase have always pushed for investment-driven growth, acknowledging its multiplier effects on the economy in terms of jobs, incomes, infrastructure, and quality of life. This is not going to happen overnight, however. The government must ensure that it establishes and maintains the right environment to attract investors, and actively collaborates with the private sector.

The Sona is always a much-anticipated day. It is that one time of the year when the chief executive addresses the people and reassures them that he knows exactly how he is steering the ship. What Mr. Marcos will say—and what he will not—will tell us many things about what we can realistically expect for the next five years, and beyond. We will be watching, and we will be listening.

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Dindo Manhit is founder and CEO of the Stratbase Group.