By CESAR JOLITO III
As President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. prepares to deliver his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) today, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said he does not expect the province’s pressing concerns to be part of the national report.
“While we hope that Negros Occidental’s needs will be addressed, I understand that these may not be considered major enough for a speech like the SONA,” Lacson said over the weekend.
Lacson said he anticipates that Marcos will focus on broader topics, including his recent state visit to the United States and major national initiatives.
This leaves little room for localized issues, such as the improvement of the Bacolod-Silay Airport and increased agricultural support, the governor said.
While many Filipinos await announcements on livelihood, inflation and disaster response, some lawmakers have called for the President to strike a more empathetic and less lavish tone, given recent flood-related calamities in several provinces, including parts of Western Visayas and the Negros Island Region (NIR).
Marcos is scheduled to deliver his SONA before a joint session of the 20th Congress at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, July 28.
His address marks the midpoint of his administration and is expected to set the tone for the remaining three years of his term, amid rising political tensions, a recent Cabinet reshuffle, and the ongoing fallout from natural disasters across the country.
Meanwhile, Vice President Sara Duterte has confirmed she will not attend the SONA, deepening the perceived political rift between her camp and the Marcos administration.
What to expect?
According to Malacañang last week, the President’s speech is almost complete and will undergo final edits following his return from Washington D.C.
The Palace has signaled that Marcos will highlight the administration’s progress on social and economic reforms, infrastructure development under the Build Better More program, education improvements such as the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Act and senior high school curriculum review, and efforts to improve food security.
Officials also said that Marcos will present a roadmap for the second half of his term, emphasizing continuity in governance and long-term development.
Deployment
The Police Regional Office in Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) will deploy 155 police personnel to ensure security during the SONA in the wake of expected riots in various sectors.
The police officers were instructed to exercise maximum tolerance and follow the revised police operational procedures in case of rallies.
The PRO-NIR also created a task group for more effective operational coordination, intelligence monitoring, emergency response preparedness, and other security measures.
The regional police are asking the public to cooperate with the authorities and notify them immediately if any suspicious activity is observed.
Meanwhile, security dry runs and simulations have been conducted near Batasang Pambansa, including hostage scenarios, crowd dispersal drills and medical emergency responses to ensure the President’s safety and uninterrupted delivery of the address on Monday.
The Philippine National Police and Presidential Security Group deployed more than 12,000 personnel at Batasang Pambansa, with additional augmentation from the various security agencies and other units.
The National Capital Region Police Office will field at least 16,000 officers across Metro Manila./CJ, WDJ