What Marcos said in his third SONA, from A-Z

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s third State of the Nation Address began with a by-the-book reinforcement of his technocratic image as an economic manager, then ended with his rousing pronouncements calling to protect the West Philippine Sea and ban all Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).

Met with swelling applause, Marcos’ third SONA was expectedly free of personal digs to his former UniTeam allies and peppered with minutiae details of the economic, education, health and social programs to come.

Here, we break down the one-hour speech into easily digestible topics from A to Z.

Like last year, Marcos opened his speech with plans to galvanize the agricultural sector, starting with the provision of more seeds, fertilizers, livestock, boats and technical and financial assistance to farmers and fisherfolk.

The president said “the hard lesson” of the past year is that data showing the Philippines’ fair standing in the region “means nothing to a Filipino, who is confronted by the price of rice at P45 to 65 pesos kilo.”

The president served concurrently as Department of Agriculture secretary for 17 months before picking fishing tycoon and top campaign donor Francisco Laurel Jr. to replace him. 

Marcos noted a rise in the number of new businesses and corporate registrations, including foreign firms, driven by expedited processes for registration and approval. 

To bolster economic growth, the president said his administration is pushing for an investment-friendly environment through capital market reforms and the implementation of “green lanes,” which are streamlined processes designed to reduce bureaucratic hurdles for businesses.  

Known to speak in broad strokes about the climate crisis, President Marcos this time bannered the country’s proactive stance on global climate responsibility, including being the host country of the board of the Loss and Damage Fund, which seeks to help poor nations cope with costly climate disasters

The president also spoke of ongoing efforts to enhance disaster preparedness and promote renewable energy sources to mitigate the impact of climate change.

Marcos also claimed the government has made leaps and