'Di pwedeng hanggang salita lang': Critics urge Marcos to translate SONA promises into action
MANILA, Philippines — Opposition figures and human rights organizations slammed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s recent State of the Nation Address (SONA), dismissing his statements as empty words.
Halfway through his term, Marcos delivered his third SONA on Monday, highlighting the programs and projects which was finished during his administration.
However, critics argue that several issues were left unaddressed.
Rep. Raoul Manuel (Kabataan Partylist) suggested that the proposed ban on Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) might be the "saving grace" of the address, but he said that it must be backed by concrete actions.
"Pero 'di pwedeng hanggang salita lang 'yan, gaya ng verbal reclamation ban na naikutan din ng ilang malalakas na kumpanya. Dapat nakasulat para hindi makalusot ang alinmang POGO sa bansa," Manuel said in a statement to Philstar.com
(It can't just be words, like the verbal reclamation ban that some powerful companies managed to circumvent. It should be written down so that no POGO can slip through in the country.)
Marcos called for a total ban on POGOs, a move long advocated by several senators, business groups and economic managers.
He instructed the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. to halt POGO operations by the end of 2024.
POGOs have been controversial due to their links to criminal activities, including human trafficking.
Rep. France Castro (ACT-Teachers) also criticized Marcos’ SONA for lacking solutions, describing it as “long on rhetoric, but short on substance.”
“He banned POGOs but this will not solve poverty, landlessness, malnutrition, foreign intrusion, lack of jobs, high prices of goods and services, lack of industrialization and exploitation. Hindi natatapos sa pag-ban ng POGOs ang laban. Dapat may pagpapanagot sa mga mataas na opisyal na naging protektor at nakikinabang dito,” Castro said in her statement.
(He banned POGOs, but this will not solve poverty, landlessness, malnutrition, foreign intrusion, lack of jobs, high prices of goods and services, lack of industrialization, and exploitation. The fight does not end with banning POGOs. There should be accountability for high-ranking officials who protected and benefited from them.)
Rep. Edcel C. Lagman (Albay, 1st District) acknowledged that while some statements in Marcos’ SONA might “evoke concurrence,” they lack details on implementation.
“Such agreement on some vital points in the SONA does not mean that a Counter-SONA is not necessary with respect to dissenting views based on established facts and validated data on the Philippine economy, poverty, agriculture and food security, education, employment, sustainable human development, and human rights – all of which will be discussed in the genuine opposition’s Counter-SONA,” Lagman said in a statement posted by Liberal Party spokesperson Leila de Lima on X (formerly Twitter).
Meanwhile, human rights watchdog Amnesty International also asked the president to walk the talk, calling for “realistic and transparent” measures to address shortages in food and basic commodities.
“Measures addressing inflation, for instance, should in particular be conscious of the lived experiences of the most vulnerable groups in society, with them at the center of the decision-making,” the group said.
“Inequality soars due to the government’s neglect of people’s Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, so people are driven to protest, with hopes of getting the government’s attention and action. Too often, protesters are either dismissed as nuisance and even prosecuted for alleged violations or are only paid lip service with promises of a better Philippines,” it added.
Prior to Marcos’ address, progressive groups held a protest on Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City, calling for a P150 across-the-board wage hike.
The president reported on recent regional wage hikes but did not propose further legislative action for a higher increase.
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