COMBATIVE President Duterte arrives at the House to address a joint session of Congress. —MALACAÑANG PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Following are the accomplishments that President Rodrigo Duterte mentioned in his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday.
• Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) benefited 4.3 million families; 92.2 million people received aid through the conditional cash transfer program
• Key legislation passed, including Universal Health Care Act; Bayanihan to Heal as One Act; laws creating the Diversity and Inclusion Program (ending discrimination based on age, sex and gender identity) and the National Council Against Child Labor
• Issued Executive Order No. 104 regulating the prices of medicines
• Aid extended to jeepney drivers through the Pantawid Pasada Program• Provided temporary wage employment for repatriated migrant workers through Tupad program
• Zero-interest loans for micro, small and medium enterprises through the COVID-19 Assistance to Restart Enterprises (CARES)
• Rehabilitation of Boracay Island
• Government workers’ pay increased under the salary standardization law • Successful hosting of SEA Games
• The Philippines enjoys a strong financial position and robust banking system despite the negative outlook projected for the Southeast Asian region
• Completion of “significant projects” under the “Build, Build, Build” program
• Setup of 75 Malasakit Centers nationwide, providing a one-stop platform for services in government hospitals
Directives and plans of action
• Reimpose death penalty using lethal injection
• Create the Coconut Farmers Trust Fund; Congress asked to draw up a plan on “how to best utilize” the “billions” collected by the government over the years to benefit farmers
• “All TV frequencies reverted to the government” be used for uninterrupted delivery of quality education and shift to e-learning
• Telecom companies must improve internet connectivity.
• Pass Bayanihan 2 Act and COVID-19 Adjustment Program to deal with the continuing challenges of the pandemic
• Through the Commission on Higher Education, create scholarship programs for children of displaced overseas Filipino workers; Department of Trade and Industry to create agribusiness and entrepreneurship programs for displaced migrant workers
• Pass Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) law • Pass a unified retirement and pension law for the military and uniformed personnel
• Pass a rental subsidy law (Mr. Duterte urged lessors to “be fair and compassionate through amenable arrangements with tenants”)
• Amend the Continuing Professional Education Act
• Pass the Advanced Nursing Education Bill
• Create the National Disease Prevention and Management Authority
• Jump-start agriculture through a “Plant, Plant, Plant” stimulus program• Provide more protection for online consumers through Internet Transaction Act
—Cathy Cañares Yamsuan and Kat de Villa