Sona 2024: A quick look at main issues

Highlights: Sona 2024

Sona 2024: A quick look at main issues

PH PRESIDENT FERDINAND MARCOS JR. composite image from Inquirer file photos

As President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reports the state of the nation for the third time on Monday (July 22), the themes of his administration have remained the same.

Here’s a quick look at some of the major issues, the current situation, what’s been done, and what’s been promised.

WEST PHILIPPINE SEA

Asserting sovereignty

Amid increasing aggression by China, Marcos Jr. said the Philippines should go beyond just filing diplomatic protests:

Graphics by Ed Lustan

* 65 (filed as of December 2022)

* 150 (filed as of June 2024)

* 20 (filed in the first six months of 2024)

Facing China

West Philippine Sea reefs have been occupied by China, and the damage is immeasurable:

Graphics by Ed Lustan

READ: Marcos: Philippines will not lose one inch of its territory

Chinese structures inside PH waters

To assert its disproven claim in the West Philippine Sea, China has built outposts to use as bases for military and other purposes:

Graphics by Ed Lustan

READ: AFP wants China to pay P60M for June 17 attack

ENERGY, NATURAL GAS

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has repeatedly underscored the critical role of the Malampaya gas field, the Philippines’ only source of indigenous natural gas.

Malampaya gas field

SOURCE: DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

READ: Malampaya contribution to gov’t revenue: $13B

Extended for 15 more years

Marcos’ thrust for energy security was followed by:

SOURCES: DOE, INQUIRER.NET ARCHIVE

READ: 15 more years: Bongbong Marcos signs Malampaya renewal deal

What’s next?

SOURCES: DOE, INQUIRER.NET ARCHIVES

READ: 80% success rate predicted for new Malampaya gas wells

Challenges

AGRICULTURE

Increasing productivity

Increasing agricultural output has been a consistent theme of the Marcos administration since its first days in power.

Graphics by Ed Lustan

Protecting local farmers

As President Marcos Jr grapples with the challenges of raising agricultural productivity and keeping prices in check, experts remind the administration of its duty to protect Filipino farmers.

SOURCES: PSA, DR. TEODORO MENDOZA

POVERTY ALLEVIATION

Lowering poverty rate

In his first Sona in 2022, President Marcos Jr. announced the government target of lowering the poverty rate to 9 percent in 2028:

Graphics by Ed Lustan

Poverty and wages

The connection between poverty and wages is undeniable:

SOURCE: IBON FOUNDATION

Feeling poor

The polling firm Social Weather Stations regularly measures perception of poverty:

Graphics by Ed Lustan

Government intervention

The economic team of President Marcos Jr. announced steps to keep more people from falling into the poverty pit:

SOURCE: INQUIRER.NET ARCHIVES

RICE PRICES AND INFLATION

Marcos’ promise to lower the cost of rice to P20 per kilogram has remained elusive.

Prices of rice have remained above the target and have contributed to inflation:

Graphics by Ed Lustan

Inflation drivers

Food and alcoholic beverages still had the highest inflation rate at 6.1 percent.

Graphics by Ed Lustan

What’s being done?

SOURCE: INQUIRER.NET ARCHIVES

EDUCATION

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has pledged to transform the Philippine education system to improve global competitiveness and literacy rates. Here’s a summary of the current situation and progress.

PH students rank poorly in PISA reports

Previous reports by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) reveal a troubling situation for education in the Philippines: Filipino students consistently perform poorly, falling behind their peers in other countries in reading, mathematics, science, and creative thinking.

Graphics by Ed Lustan

READ: Filipino students rank poorly in Pisa 2022 report on creative thinking

READ: PH students still among lowest scorers in reading, math, science – Pisa

Most school buildings are long overdue for repairs

Not enough classrooms

The country saw a shortage of 159,000 classrooms for the 2023-2024 school year — a huge jump from the previous year’s deficit of 91,000 classrooms.

SOURCE: DEPED

Lack of teachers

DepEd reported that 89,506 teaching positions have yet to be filled.

SOURCE: DEPED

What’s been done

Promises

INFRASTRUCTURE

In his first Sona, President Marcos Jr. pledged to continue and expand the Build, Build, Build infrastructure program.

More infra projects underway

So far, these have been achieved or are on target:

Graphics by Ed Lustan

Completion target

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) noted that at least 70 of these infrastructure projects are expected to be completed by 2028, including:

Completed projects

From July 2022 to November 2023, the DPWH had already completed several projects:

SOURCE: DPWH

Record-high spending

Marcos Jr. has repeatedly said in previous Sona that he would pursue infrastructure development which would require high spending levels:

Graphics by Ed Lustan

SOURCE: DBM

Progress so far

SOURCES: DBM, DEVELOPMENT BUDGET COORDINATING COMMITTEE

READ: Bongbong Marcos to continue Duterte’s infrastructure program

READ: Let not the ‘golden age of infrastructure’ end – Marcos

More infra promises

In previous Sona, Marcos listed infrastructure projects for completion by his administration:

SOURCE: INQUIRER.NET ARCHIVES

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