PBBM to unveil govt’s pandemic recovery roadmap in first SONA

PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. is expected to unveil his roadmap for pandemic recovery during his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) next week.

Executive Secretary Victor D. Rodriguez disclosed the President wants to focus on how the government can address the effects of the Covid-19 crisis to the economy and other sectors of society.

“When we speak of Covid response, it’s not only about health. It goes all the way to the entire cycle of the economy, not just health. You go into education, and so on and so forth,” Rodriguez told reporters in an interview last Friday.

The said measures, Rodriguez said, will also include the digitalization of governance, which Marcos and the previous administration is pushing to ensure efficiency in government operations amid the pandemic.

Food crisis

ALSO expected to be included in the SONA message of Marcos will be government measures to address the prevailing food crisis.

“He (Marcos) took head on the portfolio of the Department of Agriculture because he’s aware of the impending food price crisis and probably food supply crisis,” Rodriguez said.

“It is his thrust; it is his vision for us not only to have food security but food sovereignty. Meaning, we don’t have to rely on much importation anymore,” he added.

Marcos will defer participating in additional activities this weekend to personally finish writing his SONA speech.

“This morning (July 22), we have just, the two ambassadors of Thailand and the United States presented their credentials to him. But he has devoted this afternoon until the morning of Monday to finalize his SONA message,” Rodriguez said.

Marcos will hold his SONA on Monday, July 25, 2022, at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City.

Priority legislation

AFTER the SONA, Rodriguez said, the Cabinet is expected to tackle its priority legislation through the Legislative-executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) and 2023 national budget proposal.

“All our efforts are now geared towards SONA understandably, and after that we will do all this things concerning the LEDAC,” Rodriguez said,

“We also have to look into the budget and he’s given by law 30 days from the opening of Congress to submit his budget proposal,” he added.