Drilon wants to know how Congress can assist Duterte in Sona

Senate President Franklin Drilon is looking forward to getting a better grasp of President Rodrigo Duterte’s expectations from Congress when he delivers his first State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday.

“I expect to hear from President Duterte how he wants Congress to assist and help him in fulfilling his administration’s 10-point socio-economic agenda, which he had previously announced,” Drilon said in a press forum yesterday.

In particular, Drilon is curious about how Duterte intends to enhance the conditional cash transfer program after promising to continue the scheme. The program gives incentives to the poorest of the poor in exchange for compliance with health and education requisites, such as regular medical checks for babies and mothers, and regular school attendance.

Drilon also hopes to hear from Duterte how he intends to fund his promise to increase the salary of the police, frontliners in the new President’s centerpiece campaign against crime and drugs.

“We would also like to hear the plans of the President on the increase in the pension of the Social Security System retirees. Again, this is part of the social protection program,” Drilon said.

The senator also hopes Duterte would lay down specific emergdency powers he wishes to request from Congress to address the traffic problem—an intent that the administration earlier announced in a bid to speed up infrastructure projects meant to address the transportation crisis.

Earlier this month, Drilon filed as one of his priority measures a bill that seeks to give Duterte emergency powers for two years so that government could immediately repair or construct infrastructure to ease the transport crisis.

The senator also hopes Duterte would talk about his call for constitutional amendments to facilitate a shift to a federal system of government.

“As you know, I have also filed the proposed Senate resolution of both Houses calling for the Constitutional Convention. We would like to hear his views on this,” said Drilon of his bid for the election of convention members to institute reforms in the 29-year-old Constitution.