EDITORIAL - SONA, Year 2

The nation is in trouble, President Duterte said yesterday, and things could get worse before they get better. In his second State of the Nation Address, the President urged all sectors to help him build a better nation. As protesters outside the SONA venue lambasted his human rights record, the President vowed not to be deterred or cowed in his war against drug dealers and other criminals, terrorists and other enemies of the state.

He refused to assess the state of the nation after his first year in office, saying he would leave this to the judgment of the people. But the President outlined his priorities for the coming year. As Congress buckles down to work, lawmakers can focus on the President’s legislative agenda.

Malacañang has done its homework, submitting its budget proposal for the first time on the same day as the SONA. This should give Congress ample time to pass the 2018 General Appropriations Act in record time before yearend.

Several priority legislation mentioned by the President in his annual report to the nation are not new: the restoration of the death penalty for heinous offenses, the tax reform package, and a National Land Use Act. He pressed for action on his planned shift to federalism, which requires rewriting the Constitution. These are controversial proposals, however, with deliberations likely to continue all the way to the third session of Congress.

There could be more agreement and quicker action among lawmakers on the President’s other proposals. One is the creation of a new agency or department that will put all offices involved in disaster mitigation and response under one roof, to enhance disaster resiliency. The President said this is a matter of “extreme urgency” especially in Metro Manila where seismologists have warned residents to prepare for a powerful earthquake.

Another proposal is a review of government procurement laws so that agencies are not constrained to pick the lowest bid at the expense of quality. The lowest-bid rule has been exploited for corruption and has led to substandard goods and services, the President pointed out.

As he directly asked Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno to lift a two-year-old temporary restraining order on the reproductive health law, the President also urged Congress to give him legislation that will prevent courts from issuing TROs on public infrastructure projects. TROs, the President said, are “the bane” of efficiency in this country.

Several of the President’s proposals are reasonable. Congress should be able to act on them with dispatch.