Julian Ambre Palaganas’s

Performance Task for PPG

 The newly inaugurated President Ferdinand E. Marcos Jr. delivered his first State of the Nation
Address (SONA) on July 25, 2022. His speech highlighted his administration’s agenda on investing in
digital infrastructure, tax reformations, modernization of the agricultural sector, economy recuperation,
legislative priorities, among others. This day was filled with thrill as the president was finally on the spot
to lay out his platforms to the public. During the 2022 presidential electoral campaign, Marcos was
subjected to controversies as he rarely attended debates but he still won a landslide election victory
nonetheless. The question is, did the Filipino people make a sound decision in electing him as the 17 th
president of the country?

“We live in difficulty times brought about by some forces of our own making but certainly, also
forces that are beyond our control,” President Marcos started his speech by acknowledging the current
state of the country, he then proceeded to tackle the main priorities of his administration.

“Tax administration reforms will be in place to increase revenue collection.”

Taxpayers might have raised an eyebrow upon hearing that statement, thinking they were about to
pay more of what they’re paying today. However, the president ensures that tax compliance procedures
will be revised and simplified to ease paying taxes. According to the Department of Finance, the
Comprehensive Tax Reform Program is essential to accelerate poverty reduction and to address
inequality. By doing so, the tax system will become simpler, fairer, and more efficient. In this way, the
stream of revenues generated will help the government in making significant investment that are essential
to the economic, political and social sectors of the country.

“Ang mga suliraning agarang mararamdaman ng ating mga kababayan ay ang posibilidad ng
tuloy-tuloy na pagsipa ng presyo ng pagkain at kakulungan sa suplay ng pagkain.”

The Philippines is vulnerable to inflation. In the last 3 years, the Philippines has the largest food
trade deficit in the Southeast Asian region, at about 2 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GPD). The
Philippines is the most food-insecure country in emerging Asia since it heavily relies on imports to feed
its growing population (Nguyen, 2022). We are truly in a crisis. However, President Marcos stated in his
SONA that the Department of Agriculture has finalized its plans to increase production in the next
planting seasons by giving farmers financial and technical support. In this way, consumers or the general
public will still have their purchasing power. President Marcos stated that the government will buy farm
inputs in bulk for the benefit of our farmers. Moreover, it’s also good to know the specific long-term plan
of the government when it comes to agriculture: increase the production of agricultural products. It is
important to execute this plan properly since we are an agricultural country, hence this will make the
Philippines less food-insecure. Likewise, President Marcos also set clear plans on the modernization of
agriculture that is aligned to the problems brought about by climate change.

The tourism industry of the Philippines took a massive hit during the onslaught of the COVID-19
pandemic especially when the government implemented strict protocols and multiple lock-downs across
the country. Indeed, it is a big challenge for the new government to revive the tourism sector. President
Marcos said that one way to boost tourism is to develop and repair roads. This has been continually done
by the past administrations but it is imperative that the current government carry on with what has been
started. Road developments are essential in boosting the tourism sector since this will allow tourists and
local businessmen to ease their travel and service.

Furthermore, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) has ranked consistently among the
worst airports in the world. It was named as the world’s worst airport for years by widely cited travel
website Guide to Sleeping in Airports. It’s a wonderful news that the Marcos administration has plans to
upgrade and help decongest NAIA.

“Magpapatuloy ang ating pagkalinga sa ating mga kababayan na lubos na nangangailangan.

Hindi po natin sila pababayaan.”
 The Philippines is by far one the most affected countries by climate change. Each year we face
more than a dozen typhoons every year. President Marcos’ plan for the immediate distribution of
Emergency Shelter Assistance is commendable as this will help calamity victims to support themselves
and their families.

Recently, there were viral social media posts mainly targeting 4Ps beneficiaries. These
controversial posts were questioning the eligibility of some of the beneficiaries as they were living
comfortable lives. Ramon Tulfo, in his column on PhilStar, stated that his younger brother, Social
Welfare Development Secretary Erwin Tulfo, has plans to expose undeserving beneficiaries of the
government. President Marcos stated in his SONA that his administration will make sure the 4Ps is clean
by checking the list of beneficiaries.

“Sa ating sitwasyon ng pangkalusugan, nariyan pa rin ang banta ng COVID-19, lalo’t may mga
nadidiskubreng bagong variants ng coronavirus. Pero hindi na natin kakayanin ang isa pang lock-down.
Wala na tayong gagawing lock-down.”

The lock-downs brought about by the pandemic took a huge toll on the Philippine economic. It is
time that the restrictions are eased to get back the opportunities that were lost and it is time that we
embrace the new normal. However, this does not mean that we will ignore the necessary health protocols
as COVID-19 is still here. President Marcos mentioned that the vaccine booster roll-out will continue
with his administration. This is to keep the number of cases and casualties low.

The disparities between urban and rural health centers are huge. In Metro Manila, the average city
center is 660 meters away from a hospital, and the top 10 most populated provinces average 6.36 km. As
for all the other municipalities, the nearest hospital is 13km away on average (Flores, 2020). That statistic
is alarming. Apparently, President Marcos mentioned that his administration will add more health care
centers across the Philippines, most importantly in provinces outside National Capital Region. Indeed, the
need for stronger health care system is more evident than ever.

“I believe it is time for our children to return to full face face-to-face classes once again.”
Former Department of Education Secretary Leonor Briones mentioned in the previous year that
during a meeting with UNICEF, it was confirmed that the Philippines is the only one that was
implementing home-based learning at that time. The implementation of full face-to-face classes by the
Marcos government was a big leap for teachers, students, other stakeholders, and for the country itself.

It is important to note that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. laid out solutions to the problems we,
as a nation, are currently facing without a specific time period when to achieve them, which was realistic.
The problems we are facing as a country will keep on coming: they will come in many forms but
President Marcos highlighted that what is important is to start now. Surely, President Marcos’ critics
would have wanted more elaborate plans on the execution of his legislative priorities and platforms, his
stand on the dispute of the West Philippine Sea, or how he is going to increase the employment rate of the
country. The good thing is, President Marcos has a term of 6 years to do his job and fulfill his promises.
What we can only do now is to support his administration’s projects for the country. President Marcos
gave us realistic economic, political, and social plans, hence I believed that the Filipino people made a
sound decision in electing him as the new president of this country.