Cebu leaders happy with Marcos report on inflation, tourism, economy

CEBU leaders mostly expressed satisfaction with the second State of the Nation Address (Sona) of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. Monday, July 24, 2023, especially his emphasis on the revival and growth of the economy.

But a youth leader slammed Marcos for not doing enough for the youth in the area of education and securing jobs.

Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia described the Sona as comprehensive.

“The President gave a very comprehensive report on the gains of the PBBM administration in just one year. And considering that he started with an economy ravaged by the pandemic restrictions, I must say he has done admirably well,” Garcia told reporters.

The governor also admired the finale of Marcos’ speech that gave emphasis on the new tourism slogan “Love the Philippines.”

“Most of all, I really appreciated the ending. This is a President who, by word and by deed, is leading our country and all of us Filipinos to genuinely and truly LOVE THE PHILIPPINES!” Garcia said.

The new tourism campaign, “Love the Philippines,” launched last month under the leadership of her daughter, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco, had drawn controversy due to its use of stock footage on other countries falsely depicted as scenes in the Philippines in its tourism video. The slogan itself was criticized for not being original enough.

The governor also praised the President for traveling abroad to create positive relationships and attract investments to the country.

In his Sona, Marcos Jr. underlined the importance of forging friendships with all nations in order to create a more orderly, peaceful and successful nation.

Garcia already gave a “good score ‘’ to Marcos for his accomplishments in his first full year in office in a media briefing last Friday, July 21, applauding Marcos for keeping his cool despite the criticism on and problems of the administration.

“One Cebu Island continues and will always stand behind and in full support to President Bongbong Marcos,” Garcia said.

Mayors

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama called the Sona an “all embracing discussion” that had a very clear statement.

“I’m seeing more. It’s a very exciting years to come for his presidency,” said Rama when asked about his expectations for the future.

Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes said the President’s Sona gave local government officials perseverance to fulfill their jobs in serving the public.

In a statement, Cortes lauded Marcos’ approach in strengthening the country’s economical, health and educational aspects, which he stressed as important for the welfare of many.

“We have confirmed what the President said in his State of the Nation Address because his service has been enjoyed by many. I have great confidence in President Marcos for his sincere service,” Cortes said in Cebuano.

Mayor Democrito Aljun Diamante of Tuburan in northwest Cebu was also satisfied with the speech of Marcos but said he had expected Marcos to lay out more projects on infrastructure and science and technology.

San Remigio Mayor Alfonso Pestolante commended Marcos for delivering “a truthful state of the nation, full of hope and vivid direction on where and how he wants to lead our nation.”

Rejuvenated

He told SunStar Cebu that he was most impressed with the economic growth of 7.6 percent achieved during the first year of the President’s administration.

Pestolante also appreciated the administration’s investments in the tourism sector since that is also among his town’s priorities.

Minglanilla Mayor Rajiv Enad praised Marcos’ emphasis on a rejuvenated economy.

“The country has faced so many challenges; hence it is great to hear that among many other positive notes in the President’s Sona, the revived, rejuvenated and growing economy is emphasized. That is what’s important, because that is what the Filipinos need and it is what the Filipinos deserve,” said Enad in a statement.

Inspired

For Lone District of Mandaue Representative Emmarie “Lolypop” Ouano-Dizon, the President’s Sona was inspirational.

“I am inspired with his Sona,” Dizon told SunStar Cebu. “We have a President who is able to walk his talk in terms of improving our economy, reducing inflation, modernizing agriculture, digitalization of commerce and government services, increase revenue generation, among other key achievements on his first year in office like on internet speed, tourism boom, on the problem of OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) in Saudi, and many more despite the many challenges.

“I’m happy that our advocacy for free dialysis and additional specialty government medical centers has been started already. I look forward to doing my part in helping his legislative agenda in Congress. It is exciting to be part of his vision of “bagong Pilipinas” because I’m sure that this will come true,” said Ouano-Dizon.

Business community

A business leader also expressed optimism about the economy after hearing Marcos mention the possibility of the inflation rate easing to 2.9 percent by 2024.

“It will mean better buying capacity for our people, more investments in business and a less restive labor force,” said Kelie Ko, president of the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

He also applauded the plans of Marcos for the agriculture sector.

“We need to make sure that whatever policy strategies the government will implement should trickle down to the benefit of every Filipino,” Ko said.

Zero score

During a protest rally in Cebu City held hours before the Sona, however, Kyle Enero, chairperson of Kabataan Party-list Cebu, gave Marcos a grade of zero for his first year in office.

“He wasted his first year in presidency. He wasted the opportunity in helping the common Filipino. If we rate him, it will be 0/0,” said Enero, who urged the National Government to invest more on quality education so more youth can avail themselves of free and accessible education, in contrast to the slashing of the budget of state universities and colleges (SUCs) last year.

He also challenged the government to increase the budget allocation for education to six percent of the Philippines’ gross domestic product following the international standards or education set by the United Nations, from the 2.2 percent to 3.6 percent of GDP from 2010 to 2019.

Enero also hit the National Government for not intervening on the lack of job opportunities available for college graduates, which has led to job mismatching, such that more youth choose to enter the freelancing industry now instead of applying for a job where they can fully utilize the degree program they have graduated from in college. (ANV, RJM, EHP, HIC, KJF, AML, HIC)