Officials expect Marcos to tackle key issues in 3rd Sona

Highlights: Sona 2024

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. arrives at the Batasang Pambansa on Monday, July 22, 2024. —Screenshot from an RTVM livestream

MANILA, Philippines — Key government officials believe President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. should report on key sectors of the country such as infrastructure, education, and agriculture in his third State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday afternoon.

In an interview on the red carpet at the Batasang Pambansa, where the Sona will be held, Sen. Loren Legarda said the Marcos administration had already done a lot in the past two years.

READ: Live Updates: Sona 2024

But she said she would want to hear Marcos discuss reforms in agriculture and education in his speech.

“We want to see how the inflation can be curbed so commodity prices can be managed. Second, we want to see support for agriculture so that we no longer import food, especially rice. Third, we want to see how we can strengthen support for the youth through quality education,” Legarda told reporters in Filipinos.

Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr. said in Filipino: “We expect more [to hear about] other infrastructure projects will he do, [how he will] alleviate our traffic problem, [how he will tackle] peace and order and the fight against drugs.)

Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga said she would want to hear Marcos talk about climate change adaptation and mitigation, environmental protection, and disaster risk reduction.

Makati City Mayor Abby Binay said she was hopeful that things would get better for the country in the coming years.