Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 25)— President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. covered a range of national issues in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, but some groups and netizens questioned why some topics failed to make the cut in his speech.
Here are some of the issues which were part of viewers’ wish list but left out of the president’s address:
Human rights
Marcos made no mention of the country’s human rights situation in his speech despite calls from rights watchdogs and advocates to tackle the topic.
Last week, the New York-based Human Rights Watch called on Marcos to show “serious commitment” in addressing human rights concerns and put a spotlight on them during the SONA.
Progressive group Bayan said this “may not be among the priorities of his government.” “It is a very disturbing sign,” it said in a statement.
RELATED: Marcos vows ‘high-level of accountability’ for PH human rights issues – UN official
Illegal drugs, drug war, ICC
Marcos also did not touch on a related topic: the flagship anti-drug campaign of his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte.
Duterte’s bloody drug war had captured the attention of the international community after thousands were reported killed under enforcement operations. International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan earlier requested the resumption of the investigation into the government campaign.
Prior to clinching the presidency, Marcos in October said he would continue the past administration’s program “in a different way.”
Federalism, insurgency, peace talks
There was also no mention of federalism, one of the campaign promises of former President Duterte in 2016, during Marcos’ SONA.
Duterte, who believed that a shift to federalism will help address insurgency and promote peace in the country, gave up on his agenda as Filipinos “are not ready” for it. Past attempts to amend the Constitution have also failed due to pushback from lawmakers.
Peace talks with communist groups likewise failed to gain the limelight during Marcos’ speech.
READ: CPP not closing doors on peace talks with Marcos Jr. admin
Press freedom
Marcos called for the protection of the creatives sector, seeking an “institutionalized” industry that will advance the workers’ rights and interests.
However, there was no specific talk on press and media freedom.
Corruption
Measures to battle corruption in government were also part of the SONA wish list of netizens and officials.
Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros said she wanted to hear about President Marcos’ anti-corruption measures, “given ‘yung history of plunder sa ating bansa noong nakaraang mga dekada [given the history of plunder in our country in the past decades].”
West Philippine Sea
While Marcos renewed his pledge to protect Philippine territory from foreign threats, he did not specifically talk about the maritime tensions with China in the West Philippine Sea.
The chief executive stressed his administration’s rule to be a “friend to all, enemy to none,” adding that his administration will work to resolve disputes with other countries.
