For Cebu business leaders, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. delivered a comprehensive and relevant report to the Filipinos during his third State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday, July 22, 2023.
However, a political science professor said Marcos failed to report on the country’s economic health.
Melanie Ng, area vice president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry-Visayas said he covered “matters that greatly affect our country.”
“What I like is that it was a no-nonsense delivery, filled with vigor and direct to the point. The start of the speech was remarkable as it immediately addressed the much talked about rice situation in the country,” said Ng.
Marcos touched on the issue of rice and the reason the country still needed to import more amid the 200 million tons of rice harvested last year, the highest since 1987.
But he assured that the government will still prioritize local production by supporting the agriculture sector to accelerate, streamline, and strengthen production—from planting, harvesting, and catching to transportation and sales—while also preventing product spoilage.
Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mark Anthony Ynoc, in a separate interview, described Marcos’ Sona as “quite comprehensive and uplifting.”
Ynoc said the president placed a solid emphasis on lowering the power cost, and inflation rate, improving better connectivity, mitigating climate change and reducing poverty and unemployment.
“The emphasis on improving our educational standards through digitalization is most welcome,” he said.
Marcos vowed to harness, together with the government’s partners from the private sector, the concept of common towers in a bid to enhance internet connectivity across the country.
“Together with our private sector partners, we will efficiently harness the concept of common towers to provide connectivity to Filipinos who are at the far end of the last mile. Expect full government support to ensure the successful completion of this critical project, including policy reforms and streamlined processes,” Marcos said.
Globe, in a statement, lauded the president’s vow to enhance connectivity and initiate policy reforms for faster and more efficient network expansion.
“Globe thanks the President for giving priority to enhancing the country’s connectivity infrastructure in his Sona. Our goals are well-aligned, and we look forward to our sustained collaboration with the government and other stakeholders to bring to fruition our parallel vision of a digitalized nation,” said Ernest Cu, Globe president and chief executive officer.
Cu cited how Marcos’ Sona targets echo Globe’s initiatives, including optimizing the use of common towers to make network builds more capital-efficient.
Meanwhile, Marcos’ decision to ban Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogo) reeks of a strong political will, according to former MCCI president Steven Yu.
Marcos announced the total ban of Pogo in the country, taking into consideration the illegal activities in the guise of Pogo, such as human trafficking, kidnapping, physical and sexual abuse, and even murder.
He ordered the Department of Labor and Employment to find new jobs for the Filipino workers who would be affected by his order. Around 40,000 Filipino workers will be displaced by Marcos’ order to ban Pogo in the country.
At present, there are around 43 legal Internet Gaming Licensees (formerly known as Pogo) in the country.
Yu said the business community is “very much encouraged and inspired by the leadership of PBBM.”
“The business community is very much encouraged and inspired by the leadership of PBBM and his manifest love for his country. We are highly confident of the upward trajectory and momentum of our economy and for this reason, we expect a significant upswing of investments, both foreign and local,” said Yu.
Meanwhile, in a Sunstar Cebu interview with Niño Olayvar, a Political Science professor at the University of San Carlos, said that Marcos failed to report on the economic performance of the country.
“The Sona wasn’t very focused on the economy. It could cover many topics, but one of the key aspects people were looking forward to was the economic aspect,” said Olayvar in Cebuano.
He explained that during President Marcos’ campaign, one of his platforms was economic growth and revisiting what his father achieved during the Golden Age.
“This led us to expect that he would report and showcase what had been achieved in terms of the economy. I felt that this area was somewhat lacking, although he did declare a reduction in the poverty rate,” said Olayvar. / KOC with reports from TPM