The importance of SONA

How important is the President’s State-of-the-Nation Address?

More than a litany of the current leadership’s accomplishments whether real or imagined, the SONA is supposed to be a platform for the President to inform Congress about the state of the country and for the nation’s leader to recommend to the legislature measures which he deems important.

In the United States, no less than the Constitution, in particular Article II, Section 3, provides that the President shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union, and recommend for their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.

In our case, Art. VII, Section 23 of the 1987 Constitution mandates that the President shall address the Congress at the opening of its regular session. The 1935 Constitution was basically the same as that of the US Constitution when it stated that “the President shall from time to time give to the Congress information on the state of the nation, and recommend to its consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.”

Except for very few occasions, like the oath-taking of a newly elected president, this is one of those when the entire government – executive, legislative, and judicial branches – are in one room.

I haven’t confirmed this, but I read that in the US, during the state of the union address, to ensure a smooth transition of power in the event of an emergency or catastrophe, at least one member of the President’s Cabinet and two members of each house of Congress from each party are absent from the venue. Instead, they are placed in a secure location away from the Capitol, just to make sure that there will be a senior member of government left in charge of the country.

And while our SONA, or the US’ state of the union address, is supposed to be something between the President and Congress, it has also become a chance for the citizens of a nation to hear their leader talk about the nation’s health.

Also in the US, they have what they call the state of the union response which is a speech given by a chosen representative of the political party opposed to the sitting president, following the state of the union address. It is an opportunity for the opposing party to give its rebuttal to the president’s agenda. We don’t have that. Instead, we hear our opposition give their comment to media about the President’s speech.

It is unfortunate that President Duterte’s SONA was not given that much attention this year, firstly because he stuck to his written speech; secondly, he did not attack the Vice President which the latter was expecting; and thirdly, because the ouster of House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez took the thunder away from the President’s moment.

Let us take this opportunity to look at the salient features of President Duterte’s 2018 SONA.

First, the President reiterated his commitment to put a stop to corruption. In this area, I would say he has done more than any other President by removing from office even those very close and loyal, at the slightest hint of impropriety in the performance of their public duties.

Second, he directed local government units to simplify their processes for the successful implementation of the recently passed Ease of Doing Business Act. As the President said, the people deserve efficient, effective, and responsive government services, nothing less.

Third, he called on Congress to pass legislation ending the practice of contractualization once and for all and to pass at the soonest possible time the bill establishing the Coconut Farmers’ Trust Fund. 

Fourth, the President has reiterated his resolve to ensure that the country’s telecommunications services are reliable, inexpensive, and secure. In line with this, he said that interconnection rates would be lowered between all industry players.

Fifth, he gave a stern warning to local government units whose tourist destinations need urgent rehabilitation and enforcement of environmental and other laws to proactively enforce the laws and not wait for the national government to take over, just like what happened in Boracay.

He urged the Senate to urgently pass the National Land Use Act to put in place a national land use policy that will address the competing land requirements for food, housing, businesses, and environmental conservation.

Sixth, he revealed that the Cabinet has approved for immediate endorsement to Congress the passage of a law creating the Department of Disaster Management to strengthen the country’s capacity for resilience to natural disasters.

Seventh, the President hinted that the prohibition against open pit mining is here to stay, even as he called on irresponsible miners to change their ways, warning that radical reforms can be expected.

Eighth, in order to lower the prices of rice, he urged Congress to come up with measures to replace the current quota system for the importation of rice to one that is tariff based, one that would allow rice to be imported more freely.

Ninth, the President asked Congress to immediately pass the bill for the second package of the tax reform program which among others, would lower the corporate income tax rate and rationalize business incentives. He said that by the end of July, all five packages of his tax reform would have been submitted to Congress.

Apart from TRAIN, rice tariffication, and Package 2, they include the mining, alcohol, and tobacco tax increase, reform in property valuation, reform in capital income and financial taxes, and an amnesty program, he added.

Tenth, the President wants an improvement in the country’s healthcare system, beginning with streamlining the various sources of financial assistance for people with health-related needs, institutionalizing the unified implementation of the “No Balance Billing Policy,” pooling all government resources for health services under the PhilHealth, institutionalizing primary care as a prerequisite to access higher level of healthcare, and passing the Universal Health Care Bill.

Lastly, President Duterte said he has received from the consultative committee headed by former chief Justice Reynato Puno the draft federal constitution. Contrary to expectations, the President did not make a pitch for its passage, probably because he hasn’t had the opportunity to read it carefully. The committee was rushing the draft in time for the President’s SONA. For what? The committee could have spent more time considering the valuable suggestions and opinions given by constitutional experts like former justice Vicente Mendoza and Adolfo Azcuna. For instance, Mendoza questioned the inclusion of social and economic rights under the proposed Bill of Rights, since that would mean rights, like the right to housing, would become demandable in court from government.

It is interesting to find out how the new House leadership, under Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, would respond to all these challenges to Congress.

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