NEGROS Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. and two mayors in the province expect President Benigno Aquino III to focus on financial management measures as he delivers his first State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday.
Marañon, who will only watch the Sona on television, said he expects Aquino to lay down his plans for the good of the nation.
One of the President's cabinet members reported last week that there is very little fund in the national budget left for the Aquino administration, “so we will listen to the President how he would manage the financial situation,” the governor stated.
Aquino has confirmed reports that P949.2 billion of the 2010 budget had already been released and only P591.4 billion remain for his administration.
Meanwhile, Silay City mayor Jose Montelibano revealed that he will personally listen to the President's Sona in Congress. He is hopeful that the President would be able to bring back the confidence of the businessmen to put up investments in the country.
Many businessmen in Manila are just waiting for the President's Sona to get some cue on the direction of the business climate in the country, Monteliban said, adding that many of them are optimistic of the economic change in the country under the new administration.
For his part, Hinigaran Mayor Alejandro Mirasol, the first mayor in Negros Occidental to declare his support behind Aquino during the May 10 elections, hopes that Aquino would address the numerous problems besetting the country.
He admitted though that it will be very difficult for the new President to address all these problems.
Mirasol also said that in the previous years, he has been personally attending the Sona in the Congress, but this time he will only watch on the television. (TED)