On the 23rd of July 2018, President Rodrigo Duterte delivered his third State Of the Nation Address (SONA) in front of 3,000 government officials, and guests at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City.
Days prior to the address, people have been pondering on the issues that the President will tackle during his speech—Since 2016, the war against drugs, Bangsamoro Basic Law (now called the Bangsamoro Organic Law), and the shift towards a Federal government have been surrounding various news media platforms in the country.
Former President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is the new House Speaker
Moments before the SONA, Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo took an oath as the new leader of the House, formally replacing Pantaleon Alvarez, who in his term, opened the possibility of the Death Penalty Bill’s approval. According to Deputy Speaker Gwen Garcia, the removal of Alvarez had been briefly discussed. In 2012, Arroyo was put in hospital detention after a plunder case was filed against her. The case highlights the exploitation of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office’s funds in her term.
War Against Drugs Is ‘Far From Over’
The war on drugs, even after reaching the international news, is still “far from over.” In his speech, Duterte addressed his high regards for human lives.
In 2017, reported cases of drug-related fatalities grew in number after an estimated number of 4,000 drug-related operations were led by the police.
“If you think that I can be dissuaded from continuing this fight because of [your] demonstrations, your protests, which I find, by the way, misdirected, then you got it all wrong,” says Duterte.
On Corruption
To improve the services of the government, Duterte stressed that corruption must end. “Corruption is like a leech that it bleeds the government of funds programmed for its infrastructure and other social development projects. It saps the morale or the morale of dedicated and honest government workers”.
As of this writing, the President has already fired 21 officials and signed seven resignation letters of people who allegedly misused the government’s funds.
The Bangsamoro Organic Law
For the Bangsamoro Organic Law, Duterte makes his “solemn commitment of giving Muslims basic legal tools to chart their destiny within the Constitutional framework of our country”.
In his speech, the President said that the proposed law will be signed and ratified within 48 hours.
In October 2012, a preliminary agreement between the Philippine government, and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front was signed in the Palace.
Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN law)
The President praised the Congress for being able to pass the TRAIN law immediately. “I applaud Congress for the timely passage of the TRAIN law. You have made funds available to build better roads and bridges, and improve health and education, and strengthen our safety and security. Some have incorrectly blamed our efforts toward a fairer tax system for all the price increases in the past months, and some irresponsibly suggesting to stop TRAIN’s implementation,” he said.
Protests During SONA 2018
As Duterte addressed the government’s actions and development, people who represent different organizations gathered to rally against him. In a report given by the National Capital Region Police Office, there were at least 8,000 anti-Duterte protesters in Commonwealth Avenue on the day of the SONA.
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