"The President’s Sona marks a new course for the country."
"The President’s Sona marks a new course for the country."Unlike previous State of the Nation Addresses, the President’s fifth Sona was delivered under extraordinary circumstances. The COVID-19 pandemic has evidently put a strain on the Filipino’s ordinary course of living. Our country’s growth and development have been affected. In light of the situation, the President’s address, in a nutshell, focused on the adaptation to the new normal and the government’s strategies toward national recovery.
The Sona acknowledged the reality that, apart from COVID-19, various issues that beset the country remain. In fact, addressing these issues prove to be more crucial than ever today. In his speech, the President called out the subpar performance of telecommunication companies in the country, particularly the two major players in the industry. This issue on the poor quality of the telecommunications in the country has been constantly investigated and debated since I was in Congress. I, along with my colleagues in the Minority bloc back then, have repeatedly called for Globe and Smart to address the countless and recurring complaints of its subscribers—dropped calls, static lines, dead spots, weak signal and slow internet connectivity, among others. These companies are part of giant corporations which make huge amounts of money. While businesses are expected to profit, the quality of their services which are imbued with public interest should be mutually acceptable and efficient.
Now that we are mostly relying on the internet for remote transactions, work-from-home, and virtual learning, reliable internet service is crucial. Sooner or later, should these companies fail to address their poor services, as was our concern in several Congresses past, the Legislative may exercise their constitutional authority to deny renewal or revoke their legislative franchises. While we do not wish this to happen, I echo the sentiments of our President and urge these companies to step up—or step out.
The President also made mention of the establishment of the coconut levy trust fund which we have pushed during the 17th Congress. While the provisions of the previous bill have not been amenable to the Executive, our present legislators should expedite the reconciliation of the conflicting and dangerous provisions in the bill in order to start rehabilitation and improvement of our coconut industry at the soonest possible time. As governor of Quezon Province where coconuts are one of the primary agricultural products, I think I can speak on behalf of our coconut farmers that the release and utilization of the coconut levy funds is very much sought. Our coconut trees are already getting old, and many of them were damaged by previous typhoons and have not been replaced yet. Hence, replanting coconut trees is greatly necessary to help our coconut farmers, especially since the pandemic has taken its toll on their livelihood.
With this, I urge our legislators to act swiftly on these legislative measures for an inclusive economic recovery. The President’s Sona marks a new course for the country. We are guided by the administration’s policy agenda that will uplift the lives of the Filipinos and ease the country out of this crisis. I am hopeful that as we take steps in addressing each issue presented by the President, we get closer to our pre-COVID economic state and even record accelerated growth as a mark of our continued progress.