Cruz, Jethro Jed F.

July 26, 2019

12-HUMSS-1

“Where do we go, now that we are in the middle of nowhere?”

A summary and critical outlook on PDu30’s 4th State of the Nation Address

In the executive’s third year within the complexes of Malacañang Palace, President
Rodrigo Duterte continues to carry his message of unity without being free from perilous flaws,
compromising songs of phrases for hope, and the blunt but opaque report of our nation to us,
Filipinos. His 4th State of the Nation Address begins in the style of impoliteness, endures with
aplomb though rough update of the country’s social, economic, and political architecture, a side
of inappropriate banters and side comments, and closes on an unearthly, inconsistent notes that
nevertheless transport appeals to the people blinded by the true nature of our state that is:
corruptible bureaucracy, fragile national security, disjointed organization of officials, negligent
to the welfare of the people, and insensible to the fundamental rights of the people who are hard-
hearted in the nation’s down under.

Beginning his speech, he spoke of congratulatory messages to the recent success of his
political allies and cronies in making it to the 12 contested senate races, and all the House’s
seats. The president, as might everyone would expect, give himself taps on his shoulder as the
current administration gets well-received with high approval ratings by the Filipino people
recorded by nationwide surveys.

Pinpointing the ongoing casualties born out of drugs, corruption, prompted Duterte to
give his guidance to Congress that the re-imposition of death penalty be enacted in the
forthcoming sessions. Disappointments and finger points came in presence to explain the flawed
management of healthcare system in the Philippines, citing possible practices of corruption in its
internal machinery. Thus, naming a new PhilHealth president is the proposed and foreseen
solution to the deteriorating problem.

Government-owned and controlled corporations earned have started to shape up. As of

July 9, 2019, P61 billion from GOCCs or government corporations were collected, and
PAGCOR contributes 32% percent of the whole revenue, which lead its head Andrea Domingo,
to garner commendable praise from the president.

The Boracay closure weren’t absent from Duterte’s showcase of apparent successes of his
orders, under the ‘land reform program’ as a response to Secretary of Agrarian Reform’s visit to
the filthy, green algae blooms in the shorelines of the island, with its mission to restore the
bombshell attraction to its pristine state.

Government agencies billed with requests for improvements, namely LTO, SSS, PAG-
IBIG FUND, BIT, and LAR. Duterte asserts authority for the people and encourage them to be
‘assertive’ and shamelessly commit scenes and complaints on offices. The head of the executive
also advised the Filipino people to dial Hotline 8888 and give the public an opportunity to voice
complaints to the public services and agencies. Despite the ambitious and working service, it
does not run on a smooth plain of service. The government clearly spends on outdated computer
and hardware components, specifically for BIR. They all nodded that taxpayers have difficulties
reaching its automated platforms particularly during important tax deadlines1

‘Build, Build, Build’ infrastructure agenda also became one of Duterte’s center piece of
his administration’s achievements, mentioning projects of near completion statuses.

Micro, small, and medium enterprises were said to be elevated as almost 86,000
enterprises were elevated with the P 3 billion loans since 2017.

Poverty incidence dropped; 6 million Filipinos lifted from harsh poverty. Albeit the
progressive pace for alleviating poverty, the economic growth of the Philippines is still lopsided
and plummeting into a slow motion, from 7.1% in the third quarter of 2016 to 5.6% in the first
quarter of 2019. An independent economic research institute named IBON Foundation, cited the
underreported poverty incidences, and found that the poorest 50% or 11.4 million families had
monthly incomes of just Php15,000 or less, and the poorest 60% or 13.6 million families just
some Php18,000 or less.2

Duterte also wishes to re-file and reconsider the Coconut Levy Funds and invest them to
loan banks, naming Landbank as his target of dissatisfaction rooting from services for
commercial uses rather than trust funds for the runners of Philippines’ agricultural industry.
National Land Use Act are on track to develop an authority to oversee lands in use for
preservations, social infrastructures, etc.

Signed laws for the legislature in the last 17th Congress were rolling in high stakes of the
Philippine government’s policies under Duterte administration, including REPUBLIC ACT NO.
9485 - Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018, the
infamous Comprehensive Tax Reform Act (TRAIN Law) and TRABAHO Law or Tax Reform
for Attracting Better and High-Quality Opportunities, which lowered income tax rates for the

1
https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/07/26/old-computers-to-blame-for-slow-response-of-bir-to-8888-complaints-
tech-experts/
2
https://www.ibon.org/dutertes-midterm-change-for-the-worse/
Filipinos, though wrote excise taxes imposed on goods and let to the eventual spike of inflation
rates in our Philippine economy3, and HOUSE BILL NO. 2728 – An Act Ordaining the
Modernization of Bureau of Fire Protection.

Spending most of the SONA’s timeline is the West Philippine Sea territorial disputes. He
promised to give Filipinos ‘a lecture’ in light of rising opposition to the administration’s
negligence on the illegal takeover from the devilish claimant, the People’s Republic of China.
What the Filipinos had hoped for is a staunch of nationalism and determination of our rights to
fight our sovereignty in Spratly’s and other mile-away territories within the Exclusive Economic
Zone.

He uses the excuse of ‘time’ and requests the people to ‘temper the times and realities we
face today’ and that the administration is an act of delicate balancing. 4The Chinese government
refused to declare the decision by the International Court of Arbitration, which favored the
Philippines in the country’s territorial claims, indicating that the UNCLOS was a treaty of the
seas, but no definite jurisdiction across all of the globe’s waters, and that Xi government
recognizes traditional fishing rights.

The grounds of possible impeachment of Duterte’s treacherous move is a gross violation

of our 1987 Philippine Constitution, which writes that the state ‘shall protect the nation’s marine
wealth in its archipelagic waters, territorial sea, and exclusive economic zone, and reserve its use
and enjoyment exclusively to Filipino citizens.’5

Salary Standardization Act for teachers are still in the talk of most teachers in the
country, proclaiming that their reputation of their profession is still stained with an underpaid,
overworked force. The calls of pay hike were lauded, however the action needs to be
promulgated in an immediate duration. 6

Rolls and twists have tangled, and Duterte’s style of rhetoric never changes. What he
dreams of the Philippines for the future remains a bleak and blurry image, rather than the bright
and glowing days, the Filipinos have attempted to look up and endow in optimism. We cannot
afford to wait and waste the fruitful years of our existence, as a state. In these trying times, our
option left as a law-abiding citizen of the Filipino race, is to fight for our sovereignty, and to turn
back to the point of imprisoned and compromised state that still looms today.

3
https://business.inquirer.net/247147/breaking-business-inflation-philippine-statistics-authority-psa-consumer-
price-index-cpi-train-law-sin-tax
4
http://www.imoa.ph/duterte-says-south-china-sea-dispute-is-delicate-balancing-act/
5
1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/constitutions/the-1987-
constitution-of-the-republic-of-the-philippines/the-1987-constitution-of-the-republic-of-the-philippines-article-xii/
6
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/24/19/deped-lauds-duterte-call-for-pay-hike-for-teachers-govt-workers