POGO, extermination, West Philippine Sea

A large number of Filipinos were extremely pleased to hear President Ferdinand Marcos’ State of the Nation Address as being straightforward and authentic, with the substance zeroing in on what would really impact the lives of Filipinos.

He took the bull by the horns at the onset when he said that despite statistical data showing the Philippine economy to be among the best performing in Asia in 2023 – with economic managers expecting the second quarter economic growth this year to hit six percent – these numbers mean nothing to those who are burdened by high prices of food and basic commodities, most especially rice.

Acknowledging that market forces, climate issues such as El Niño, the ongoing conflicts as well as supply problems impact the price of goods not only in the Philippines but all over the world, the President gave his assurance of the government’s unrelenting efforts in mitigating these challenges.

Support for agriculture will be further enhanced to boost production with the construction of 1,200 kilometers of farm-to-market roads nationwide by yearend, with 45,000 hectares of new agricultural land to be irrigated this year. More solar irrigation projects are being constructed, like the recently opened solar-powered pump irrigation project in Isabela.

Over the past two years, close to a hundred additional evacuation centers were built. Last January, the Disaster Response Command Center which serves as the central hub for government disaster efforts began operating. These developments are opportune, considering the recent onslaught of Typhoon Gaemi (Carina) that caused massive flooding in Metro Manila and many provinces all over the country.

Additional benefits under PhilHealth also resonated among Filipinos, who welcomed the higher coverage for chronic illnesses and chemotherapy for various types of cancer, along with the construction of two new hospitals dedicated to cancer treatment. The increased number of generic medicines for outpatients plus new medications for blood pressure and other illnesses were very welcome news because this helps ease the financial burden on those who spend so much on maintenance medication.

But the subject that reverberated strongly among Filipinos is the illegal Philippine offshore gaming operations – which has been widely criticized because of the criminality associated with these POGOs that have become hubs for online scams, human trafficking, prostitution, illegal drugs, kidnapping, torture, spying, hacking and other illegal activities.

POGOs were originally allowed to operate by the Duterte administration because they created thousands of jobs and generated billions of revenue for the government. But as Finance Secretary Ralph Recto pointed out, in the end “the costs outweighed the benefits.” As it turned out, many illegal operators came into the picture and with them, uncontrolled extensive criminal activities.

When the President said, “Effective today, all POGOs are banned” – the crowd in the Congress session hall broke into thunderous applause with cheers and chants of “BBM!” – and as confirmed by several media reports, many households watching the SONA broke out into thunderous applause, too.

There are concerns, however, that these POGO operators will go underground – so it’s been suggested that a special elite task force be formed to go after them.

On illegal drugs – which is an international concern especially among countries in South America and in the Asian region – the President’s approach has been lauded in international circles, with “extermination” not being one of the strategies. More than P44 billion worth of illegal drugs have been seized while 97,000 drug personalities have been arrested, with over 6,000 of them high-value targets, the President disclosed.

Regarding education, many absolutely agree that “the quality of our education rests on the quality of our teachers” – which is why upskilling is a crucial component.

The late Ambassador Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco knew how important this was, and made it his advocacy to provide full masteral and doctoral scholarships to more than 2,000 public school teachers in Tarlac through his foundation.

Focus is now on new Education Secretary Sonny Angara, whose appointment was welcomed by many sectors, saying he is a good choice. Sonny’s experience as a legislator will certainly serve him in good stead when it comes to pushing for needed educational reforms, having been co-author of Republic Act 10931 which mandated free tuition in state and local universities and colleges.

On the West Philippine Sea issue, the President was unequivocal: it is ours, and it is not a figment of our imagination – but we will continuously find ways to “de-escalate tensions in contested areas with our counterparts without compromising our position and our principles,” the President emphasized.

Following earlier talks between the Philippines and China, we’re pleased that both sides have come to some form of agreement regarding the resupply mission to BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal without prejudice to each other’s respective positions. De-escalation of tensions has always been top of mind for President Marcos. We are pleased yesterday’s resupply mission went without incident.

Make no mistake, however – no right-thinking, patriotic Filipino will want our territorial integrity to be compromised. Those who continue to spread falsehoods about our getting involved in a potential proxy war due to the alliances we have formed should be answerable to 90 percent of Filipinos who strongly believe we are on the right track.

Having been fortunate to be educated in the UK, it’s not surprising that the President ended his SONA with the words of John Stuart Mill – a well-respected English politician and philosopher: “Let not any one pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.”

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