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“President Rodrigo Duterte SONA 2019”

SONA refers to the State of the Nation Address that the Philippine president gives every year
on the fourth Monday of July. MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte used his 4th
State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 22, to tell Congress what laws he wants
passed and what Filipinos can expect in the last half of his term. It lasted an hour and 33
minutes, making it his 3rd longest SONA so far. It also contained 7 expletives, much less than his
second SONA (25 expletives) but more than his first and third SONAs which had no curse words.

HIGHLIGHTS:

High approval ratings - After the usual introductions of top officials, among the first things
President Duterte does is highlight his popularity, by saying only 3% of Filipinos disapprove of
him.

Drug crackdown - The persistent problem of illegal drugs is Duterte's first topic. He claims the
2017 Marawi siege began with a government raid on shabu being kept by extremists there.

Death penalty - He asks Congress to bring back the death penalty for heinous crimes related
to drugs and plunder.

Corruption - Duterte condemns the PhilHealth ghost kidney treatment scam, commends the
National Bureau of Investigation for the arrest of high-profile criminals, and recalls how he has
fired "more than a hundred" government officials. He cites revenue collections by government
corporations as signs that anti-corruption reforms are working.

Anti-red tape - He tells the Land Transportation Office, Social Security System, Bureau of
Internal Revenue, Land Registration Authority, and Pag-IBIG to improve their services as data
from the complaint center under his office show they were the subject of many complaints. He
wants processing of permits to last only 3 days.

Rehabilitation of tourist attractions - Duterte brings up the temporary closure of Boracay


and the rehabilitation of Manila Bay. He threatens to "burn down" establishments that commit
violations.

Telecommunications - Duterte speaks about Dito Telecommunity, the newly established third
telecommunications provider in the Philippines. He challenges them to render services to as
many Filipinos as possible. He also promises no corruption was involved in Dito
Telecommunity's entry into the sector.
Bangsamoro Organic Law - The President tells the Bangsamoro government to fast-track the
development of the region and improve the quality of life of Muslims and indigenous peoples.

Ending communist violence - Duterte talks of his leadership of the National Task Force to End
Local Communist Armed Conflict and his assigning Cabinet members to various regions to
oversee efforts to end communist insurgency there.

Education - Duterte commends Secretary Leonor Briones and the Department of Education for
having over 27 million enrolled students from kinder to senior high school. Improvements in the
national education system are also seen in the Alternative Learning System for out-of-school
youth and adult learners. He also supports the creation of a National Academy for Sports.

Bong Go - The President makes special mention of his trusted aide, neophyte senator Bong Go,
and Go's pet bills, a treatment he gives to no other lawmaker in the room.

Barangay polls - Duterte asks Congress to postpone the May 2020 barangay and Sangguniang
Kabataan elections to October 2022.

Protection of overseas Filipino workers - He signed the Bilateral Labor Agreement with
Kuwait, in an effort to protect OFWs from abusive employers. He also seeks to establish
a Department of Overseas Filipino Workers.

West Philippine Sea - Duterte repeated his claim that he can't assert Philippine rights over the
West Philippine Sea for fear of sparking a war against China. He defends his decision to let
Chinese fishermen fish in Philippine waters, saying that international sea laws allow such an
arrangement. However, such deals have to be written whereas his deal with China is only a
verbal one.

Poverty - Duterte reports a decrease in the poverty incidence rate from 27.6% during the 1st
half of 2015 to 21% in the 1st half of 2018. He also implores that citizens join him in alleviating
poverty.

Tax reform - The President calls for the passage of Package 2 of the Comprehensive Tax
Reform Program, otherwise known as the Trabaho bill.

Liquor ban - Duterte says he wants a law ordering all drinking establishments to close at
midnight.

Salary increase - He asks Congress to pass the Salary Standardization Law which will raise
salaries for all national government workers, including teachers and nurses.
Disaster risk reduction and management - The President pushes for the establishment of
a Department of Disaster Resilience in preparation for future natural calamities.

Fire protection - He calls on Congress to pass a law creating a Fire Protection Modernization
Program.

Water department - Due to the recent water shortage in Metro Manila and nearby provinces,
Duterte calls for the creation of a Department of Water Resources and a Water Regulatory
Commission.

Land use planning - He asks Congress to pass the National Land Use Act, which will develop
lands in the countryside. This will encourage sustainable economic growth in the provinces.

Sexist remarks - In various parts of his speech, Duterte makes some sexist remarks like how
sunbathing women await foreigners in Boracay and how he has a "smelly" girlfriend because of
the Metro Manila water crisis.

Metro Manila traffic - Duterte orders the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and
Metro Manila local government officials to reclaim public roads being used for private
purposes. He orders Interior Secretary Eduardo Año to suspend mayors who don't comply.

Rice and coconut farmers - Duterte vows that his administration will implement the rice
tariffication law. He calls for the careful utilization of the coco levy fund. He also blasts the Land
Bank of the Philippines for allegedly prioritizing commercial transactions over funding of
agricultural activities.

Strengthening national security - He pushes for the passage of the National Defense Act and
the Unified Military and Uniformed Personnel Separation, Retirement, and Pension Bill. He also
wants to promote patriotism among the youth by making the Reserve Officers' Training Corps
program mandatoryfor senior high school students.

Tired - The President says he's tired and unhappy in office and would welcome a coup d'etat by
the military.

Period of consequences - Duterte ends his speech by saying the second half of his term is a
"period of consequences." He hopes for sustained momentum in the remaining years of his
term, which ends in 2022.
REFLECTION PAPER

The new agendas of our President are really great. It helps a lot of Filipinos that striving
and working hard to achieve happy and peaceful life. I really admire President Duterte for
having strong personality not on saying bad words but being a strong decision maker to our
country that literally give all he can to achieve peacefully and economically rich country. I think
that will not happen so fast but I hope that we achieve it soon.

The highlights of the SONA 2019 of President Duterte are very directive and straight to
the point that surely if it can complete it will make change in our country. Some of the agenda
are: Anti-Drug campaign is his first topic that is helpful to lessen criminal cases. He asks
Congress to bring back the death penalty for heinous crimes related to drugs and plunder.
Duterte said that there is a corruption on PhilHealth ghost kidney treatment scam, the reason
why the funds of government that for people goes to scammer officials. Rehabilitation of
tourist attractions brings up the temporary closure of Boracay and the rehabilitation of Manila
Bay. He threatens to "burn down" establishments that commit violations.
Education Improvements in the national education system are also seen in the Alternative
Learning System for out-of-school youth and adult learners. He also supports the creation of
a National Academy for Sports. Barangay poll, Duterte asks Congress to postpone the May 2020
barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections to October 2022. Protection of overseas Filipino
workers, he signed the Bilateral Labor Agreement with Kuwait, in an effort to protect OFWs
from abusive employers. West Philippine Sea, Duterte repeated his claim that he can't assert
Philippine rights over the West Philippine Sea for fear of sparking a war against China. Duterte
reports a decrease in the poverty incidence rate from 27.6% during the 1st half of 2015 to 21%
in the 1st half of 2018. Tax reform, he campaigns the Trabaho bill for many Filipinos that is Job
less also the Salary increase is what he want for Filipinos.

All in all, if President Duterte success and completely done all his new agenda, it can
surely make a change to our country and it can be beneficial to all Filipinos. There are saying
that “two is better than one” It can very hard for our President if he alone will work. I think that
if everyone supports and work on it even it is simple things, it will fasten the agendas of our
President to materialize and make our country more than we expect.

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