DURING his second State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. listed his accomplishments while addressing a number of key issues and some of the country’s most pressing problems. 

In his speech, Marcos discussed problems and proposals on economic development, education, public health care, agriculture, environment, national security, foreign affairs, and other social programs for the poverty-stricken and vulnerable.

He also mentioned some notable achievements of his administration, including the enactment of the New Agrarian Emancipation Act that cleared off more than 60,000 local farmers from their P57 billion debt burden.

AJ Montesa, a researcher from Action for Economic Reforms, said that while  it was difficult to determine the success and progress of the present administration, Marcos was able to present some important points in his annual report to the nation.

Montesa found it appropriate that Marcos kicked off his speech by talking about inflation, which the President deemed as the “biggest problem” he encountered during the first year of his term.

“According sa latest survey ng Pulse Asia, 63 percent ng Pilipino ay concerned sa inflation, so it was very good that the president acknowledged the incidents of inflation in the country,” Montesa said.

More concrete plans needed

Marcos promised that the government has been doing its best to formulate policies and strategies that would invigorate economic development.

However, Montesa said the President should present more specific and concrete plans on how to execute these economic proposals. 

He said Marcos lacked a sense of urgency in tending to these problems, and compared him to his predecessor former President Rodrigo Duterte, whom he said was quicker and more direct in his policies.

A call for long-term solutions

Moreover, the analyst said that although Marcos’ plans to recalibrate the agricultural sector is unclouded, the proposals are only short-term solutions to control the growing problems of hunger, food security, and agricultural development.

The chief executive needs to propose long-term solutions to crises, including food security, because the food stamp programs and feeding programs, for example, would directly help the hungry but not necessarily address the problem, said Montesa. 

“We think that the president can be more urgent in trying to address these issues and be more direct because he still holds the position as the secretary of Agriculture,” he said. 

Economy is still recovering 

One of the most remarkable statements Marcos made during his SONA was that the state of the country’s economy is “sound and improving.”

READ: Marcos: State of the nation ‘sound, improving’

Although Montesa concurred that the economy is improving, he questioned whether it is actually in good shape.

“I would agree on the side that it’s improving, but it remains to be seen if the economy really is sound. We have yet to recover fully to our pre-pandemic GDP per capita levels in 2022,” he told republicasia.

And although it is true that the Philippines is one of the fastest growing economies among the ASEAN countries, the country still is a step behind neighboring countries Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia, who have already recovered from the pandemic.

Poor performance

Marcos concluded his SONA by signaling the advent of what he described as “bagong Pilipinas.”

Although the game plan he laid out in the hopes of providing a better future for the Filipino people generated loud cheers and a standing ovation from the crowd of lawmakers present at the Batasang Pambansa, this wasn’t the case for some ordinary Filipinos who listened to his report.

A few days before the second SONA, republicasia asked students around Metro Manila about how they would rate the Marcos’ leadership, from one being the lowest to 10 being the highest. 

Some of them gave the president a passing score, while others gave him a failing grade. 

While these numbers varied, their reasons for giving the president these scores were the same: they barely felt any improvement when Marcos assumed office, they said.

Republicasia asked the same question to another batch of five students from different universities minutes after the SONA, but this time, none of them gave Marcos a passing rate of six. 

While college student John Dave Brion acknowledged some accomplishments that the Marcos administration had in its first year, he said the public hardly felt any of the improvements. 

“Kino-consider naman natin na kakaumpisa pa lang, one year pa lang, pero yung point na parang walang maramdaman yung mga taumbayan sa mga pinaggagagawa ng pangulo parang ang laking red flag non,” Brion said.

He also took note of the President’s international trips, which have gone up to 13. Marcos traveled to different countries in Asia, Europe, and North America in the past 12 months. 

“Usually yung mga nagawa niya this past one year [ay] puro pag-alis lang sa bansa,” he said.

“Hindi po nasu-solusyunan agad talaga yung mga dapat solusyunan tulad na lang ng inflation na sinasabi na bumaba na pero sa ngayon, ramdam na ramdam pa rin ng taumbayan kung gaano kahirap bumili ng mga basic needs nila sa pang araw-araw,” he added. 

The college student also cited  the plight of Filipino farmers and jeepney drivers which, he believes, should be among the main priorities of the national government instead of international partnerships.

More issues need to be addressed 

For Ian Capoquian, the state of the country is improving, but it is “still not good enough to be considered sound” as what Marcos claimed. 

There are still a lot of issues that need to be addressed and the first one should be inflation, Capoquian said. 

The latest headline inflation in the Philippines was recorded at 5.4 percent, further easing from the 6.1 percent in May. While this is the fifth consecutive month that the inflation decelerated, it is still higher than the government’s target range of two to four percent.

Higher consumer prices are still being felt by the Filipino people, particularly when it comes to some agricultural products, Capoquian noted.

“Mataas pa rin ang presyo ng itlog, ng sibuyas, at tsaka ng asukal,” he said.

In fact, one of the largest sugar factories in his province in Nasugbu, Batangas, the Central Azucarera Don Pedro Incorporation (CADPI), permanently shut down its operations in January 2023. This closure resulted in a sugar supply shortage in their town.

“Nangyari itong lahat ng ito kasabay sa kanyang panunungkulan bilang presidente at Agriculture Secretary ng Pilipinas,” he said, adding that Marcos should look for a new Agriculture secretary.

He also pointed out that the government needs to address the education crisis and climate change, instead of prioritizing the country’s rebranding.

 “Sa tingin ko hindi po ito kailangan bigyan ng ganon kalaking emphasis dahil may mga bagay na gumagana na hindi na kailangan palitan ng bago pa,” he said.

No comprehensive plan on education issues 

Carlo Arsula, meanwhile, said he was disappointed in the chief executive’s SONA because he did not hear a comprehensive plan on addressing the educational crisis.

“He did not give us a data-driven statement and also he did not discuss the crucial and critical issues that are directly affecting the Filipino students gaya po ng mandatory ROTC, decreasing numbers of admission rates in state universities, the lack of school facilities and laboratories, especially sinabi niya po or pinromise niya na magkakaroon po ng educational reform especially in science or STEM curriculum,” Arsula said.

The Department of Education has a budget of P15.6 billion to build new classrooms.

Education Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III said the DepEd would be needing P100 billion per year to fully address the shortage of classrooms nationwide by 2030. 

Marcos, in his speech, said that the shortage of classrooms and facilities is being addressed.

Arsula also thinks that a lot of other sectors should be prioritized, including the LGBTQIA+ community.

Adequate resources for digitalization

Marcos also talked about digitalization that the national government should “fully embrace.” 

He said that this will support the country’s data-driven and science-based planning and decision-making.

“It is the greatest, most powerful tool, not just to improve the ease of doing business, but also against many forms of graft and corruption,” the chief executive said.

But before the government could do this, it must check if its resources are sufficient and if there is stable internet connectivity and access to gadgets, said Princess Payumo. 

“Kailangan din nating i-tap yon kung may resources tayo, kasi hindi naman magiging sapat kung ii-implement lang siya na ganon, kailangan suportahan din siya at syempre maging sustainable para sa lahat,” Payumo said.

She added that it could be counterproductive if the government would abruptly jump to digitalization without sufficient resources or aid.

Jacelyn Carato agreed with this, saying that the government must have resources to execute its plans on digitalization effectively.

Smart budget management is also crucial in this plan, Carato said. 

“Kailangan yung mga ginagastos ng Department of Education dapat relevant doon sa pinaplano nila, so hindi lang basta-basta gastos,” she said.

The DepEd must also be transparent amid reports of alleged irregularities in its transactions, she added.