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Quick Point-By-Point Summary of Duterte's SONA 2019: High Approval Ratings
Quick Point-By-Point Summary of Duterte's SONA 2019: High Approval Ratings
summary of Duterte's
SONA 2019
MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte used his 4th State of the Nation
Address (SONA) on Monday, July 22, to tell Congress what laws he wants passed and
what Filipinos can expect in the last half of his term.
It lasted an hour and 33 minutes, making it his 3rd longest SONA so far. It also
contained 7 expletives, much less than his second SONA (25 expletives) but more than
his first and third SONAs which had no curse words.
High approval ratings - After the usual introductions of top officials, among the first
things President Duterte does is highlight his popularity, by saying only 3% of Filipinos
disapprove of him.
Drug crackdown - The persistent problem of illegal drugs is Duterte's first topic. He
claims the 2017 Marawi siege began with a government raid on shabu being kept by
extremists there.
Death penalty - He asks Congress to bring back the death penalty for heinous crimes
related to drugs and plunder.
Anti-red tape - He tells the Land Transportation Office, Social Security System,
Bureau of Internal Revenue, Land Registration Authority, and Pag-IBIG to improve their
services as data from the complaint center under his office show they were the subject
of many complaints. He wants processing of permits to last only 3 days.
Ending communist violence - Duterte talks of his leadership of the National Task
Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict and his assigning Cabinet members to
various regions to oversee efforts to end communist insurgency there.
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Barangay polls - Duterte asks Congress to postpone the May 2020 barangay and
Sangguniang Kabataan elections to October 2022.
West Philippine Sea - Duterte repeated his claim that he can't assert Philippine
rightsover the West Philippine Sea for fear of sparking a war against China. He defends
his decision to let Chinese fishermen fish in Philippine waters, saying that international
sea laws allow such an arrangement. However, such deals have to be written whereas
his deal with China is only a verbal one.
Poverty - Duterte reports a decrease in the poverty incidence rate from 27.6% during
the 1st half of 2015 to 21% in the 1st half of 2018. He also implores that citizens join
him in alleviating poverty.
Tax reform - The President calls for the passage of Package 2 of the Comprehensive
Tax Reform Program, otherwise known as the Trabaho bill.
Liquor ban - Duterte says he wants a law ordering all drinking establishments to close
at midnight.
Salary increase - He asks Congress to pass the Salary Standardization Law which
will raise salaries for all national government workers, including teachers and nurses.
Disaster risk reduction and management - The President pushes for the
establishment of a Department of Disaster Resilience in preparation for future natural
calamities.
Water department - Due to the recent water shortage in Metro Manila and nearby
provinces, Duterte calls for the creation of a Department of Water Resources and a
Water Regulatory Commission.
Land use planning - He asks Congress to pass the National Land Use Act, which will
develop lands in the countryside. This will encourage sustainable economic growth in
the provinces.
Sexist remarks - In various parts of his speech, Duterte makes some sexist
remarkslike how sunbathing women await foreigners in Boracay and how he has a
"smelly" girlfriend because of the Metro Manila water crisis.
Metro Manila traffic - Duterte orders the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority
and Metro Manila local government officials to reclaim public roads being used for
private purposes. He orders Interior Secretary Eduardo Año to suspend mayors who
don't comply.
Rice and coconut farmers - Duterte vows that his administration will implement the
rice tariffication law. He calls for the careful utilization of the coco levy fund. He also
blasts the Land Bank of the Philippines for allegedly prioritizing commercial transactions
over funding of agricultural activities.
Tired - The President says he's tired and unhappy in office and would welcome a coup
d'etat by the military.
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Period of consequences - Duterte ends his speech by saying the second half of his
term is a "period of consequences." He hopes for sustained momentum in the remaining
years of his term, which ends in 2022.