Drilon expects Duterte to take up poverty, law and order in 3rd SONA

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon expects President Rodrigo Duterte to take up the issues of poverty and seeming breakdown of law and order in the country in his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) today.

In a Super Radyo dzBB interview on Sunday, Drilon said he would want to hear from Duterte what his administration would do about the rising inflation, which causes prices to go higher than what poor families could afford.

"Ang ating inflation ay umaabot na ng [5.2] percent, ayon sa Department of Finance," said Drilon.

Likewise, he said, "Ang pagtaas ng presyo dahil sa inflation, ibig nating marinig kung ano ang gagawin ng ating administrasyon [diyan]."

He also took note of the rampant killings, including priests and local government officials, which he sees as telltale signs of the break down of law and order in the country.

"Maraming mga local government officials nata-target, hindi natin malaman kung sino. Patuloy din ang extrajudicial killings kaya mukhang may culture of impunity," he said.

"Kung ako ang tatanungin niyo, yung dalawang bagay ang ibig nating marinig," he added.

Drilon added that Duterte should, at the very least, make a policy statement about the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law, which has also been blamed for the rising cost of goods.

"At the very least, tawagin ang Kongreso para maupo at tingnan kung saan nagkamali at ano ang puwedeng gawin para i-address itong pagtaas ng mga pangunahing bilihin," he said.

"I-convene ang Kongreso, ang mga kumite para pagaralan kung saan nagkulang o ano ang dapat gawin para matugunan itong pagtaas ng presyo," he added.

As for the issue of law and order, Drilon pointed out that a law may only be effective if it is being obeyed and has teeth.