MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Friday said his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) will contain reports on government actions, including “effective” measures implemented to mitigate the impact of global uncertainties and challenges on the country.
In a chance interview in Mabalacat City, Pampanga, Marcos said he would brief the public on the challenges the country faced over the past year and the interventions undertaken by the government to help Filipinos cope with the situation.
“I always regard this SONA as a report – a report of the President to the public as to what has happened since the last SONA. And that is what we will take up,” Marcos said.
“Of course, I will make sure that people know all of the things that we have done to navigate this very difficult period in our history, where we are buffeted by all of these external forces,” he added.
Marcos expressed confidence that the government has implemented “effective” measures to cushion the impact of external challenges on the Filipinos, especially those from vulnerable sectors.
He said government interventions have “helped people weather this storm” and would pave the way toward “normalize[ing]” the situation in the country.
“But nonetheless, our response has been good. And we have had to make adjustments, but those adjustments have been effective and have served their purpose,” Marcos said.
Asked whether he had already finished writing his penultimate SONA, Marcos said revisions may still be done until the day of the delivery.
He said minor tweaks are being made to ensure that his message to the public is complete and clear.
“I'm never done. Until one hour before the SONA, I'm still changing it, you know, because, of course, we want it to be perfect,” Marcos said.
“On the whole, I would say the actual language is 90-plus percent done. We're just fixing it up and making sure that it's not too long or too short, that we have everything that we want to talk about already,” he added.
The government is expected to hold a simple yet dignified program for Marcos' fifth SONA that will be delivered at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City on July 27.
Pressed on whether he would address the prevailing corruption in government, Marcos said, “Abangan ang susunod na kabanata (Wait for the next chapter).” (PNA)
