State of the Nation Address 2018

PHILIPPINES - In Brief 23 Jul 2018 by Romeo Bernardo

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As promised, President Rodrigo Duterte kept to his prepared speech in his third annual report to congress this afternoon. Since members of his cabinet had in past weeks presented “Pre-SONA” reports on the Duterte Administration’s Year 2 achievements, the President concentrated on outlining his administration’s priorities and programs for Year 3 in a relatively short 50-minute speech. In the economic area, he strongly urged congress to pass two pieces of “urgent” legislation. First is the proposal to shift away from quotas to tariffs for rice imports, seen as a way to lower rice prices, a basic food staple. Second is Package 2 of the tax reform program dealing with corporate income taxes that he said he hoped to sign before the year ends. He also asked congress to pass in succession the three other packages[1] of the tax reform program.In the political area, he promised to sign the Bangsamoro Organic Law, which is awaiting the House of Representatives’ ratification, within 48 hours. He also endorsed the draft Federal Constitution to congress but per observers, in a less forceful way than expected. Per latest poll results, there is very little support for charter change at this time with the majority of respondents unfamiliar with federalism. Nevertheless, fears remain that the President’s allies in congress may rush the proposed shift to federalism and submit it for referendum as early as the May 2019 midterm elections.Stealing the thunder from the President’s speech was an attempt right before the scheduled start of the event to replace the current Speaker of the House of Representatives, Congressman Pantaleon Alvarez, with former president now Congresswoman Gloria Arr...