Build better more, or BBM

Given a fixed term of six years without re-election, there is no doubt President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is a man in a hurry. If there was quotable quote from the hour-long SONA of President Marcos, the most impactful one was the “full speed ahead” instructions addressed to the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

The maiden state of the nation address (SONA) of the newly installed 64-year-old President capped the joint opening sessions of the Senate and the House of Representatives of the 19th Congress held last Monday at the Batasan Pambansa in Quezon City.

The Secretary of the DOTr Jaime Bautista, however, was absent at the SONA after he tested positive for COVID-19 last Thursday. Although the “full speed ahead” instruction was directed to the DOTr, the marching order impliedly covered his entire Cabinet members.

Barely three weeks in the Office of the President, the Chief Executive was obviously mindful of giving due credits to the past presidents of the country, including his immediate predecessor, former Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. Although he attended Marcos inaugural, former president Joseph Estrada was not able to attend the SONA.

Former president and returning Pampanga Congresswoman Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was likewise a no-show. The 75-year-old Mrs.Arroyo also tested positive for COVID over the weekend. Still, she was elected as senior deputy speaker. As of yesterday, the office of Congresswoman Arroyo announced she is no longer infectious.

The only other living presidents, Fidel Ramos and Duterte were absent too at the SONA. Now 94 years old, Mr. Ramos has lately not been seen in public for a long while already. His absence at the SONA perhaps was the reason President Marcos did not mention him in greeting the very important people who came to watch and listen to his SONA inside the newly renovated Batasan session hall. He was not also able to attend the inaugural of President Marcos last June 30.

The 77-year-old Duterte, on the other hand, apparently opted to stay out of public sight after stepping down last June 30. He was, however, more than represented at the SONA by his children, namely, Vice President and concurrent Education Secretary Sara Duterte, and, Davao City Rep.Paolo Duterte.

Reading from the teleprompter, President Marcos sounded struggling by the so many numbers and other statistics loaded in the initial pages of his SONA. The numerical inputs to the SONA indicated the targets and projections of the economic and fiscal reforms programs detailing the vision of President Marcos for the country in the next six years of his stay at Malacanang Palace.

In his SONA, President Marcos underscored these forecasts are consistent with the guiding principles of coherence of strategies, policy discipline, and fiscal sustainability. The “headline numbers” he described as measurable medium-term macroeconomic and fiscal objectives of his administration, are as follows:

• 6.5 to 7.5% real gross domestic product (GDP) growth in 2022; 6.5 to 8% real GDP growth annually between 2023 to 2028

• 9% or single-digit poverty rate by 2028

• 3% National Government deficit to GDP ratio by 2028

• Less than 60% National Government debt-to-GDP ratio by 2025

• At least 4,256 USD income (GNI) per capita and the attainment of upper middle-income status by 2024

“The aforementioned headline goals summarize the objectives of this Medium-Term Fiscal Strategy (MTFF) being submitted to Congress, for its adoption and concurrence through a Concurrent Resolution by the Senate and House of Representatives,” the President pointed out.

Once adopted, the President cited, the MTFF will become an anchor for the annual spending and financing plan of the National Government and Congress when preparing the annual budget and undertaking related appropriation activities. “It is therefore a forward-looking document that extends beyond the traditional three-year horizon to reach six years, coinciding with the six-year coverage of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023 to 2028,” he noted.

The President also wanted an amendment to the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law.

So obviously, there are more than 19 bills the freshly minted Chief Executive wanted Congress to consider.

The President bombarded us audience with so much numbers and statistics, these first SONA parts were obviously inputs and handiworks of President Marcos’s economic team headed by Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno. A week before the SONA day, many of these numbers and statistics were already ran down to us by Albay Rep. Joey Salceda who spoke during our Kapihan sa Manila Bay breakfast news forum last July 20.

As the incoming chairman of the House ways and means committee that passes upon proposed tax and tariff measures, Salceda will carry the ball on a number of these proposed fiscal reforms itemized in the SONA of President Marcos in the 19 priority administration bills. At the outset, Salceda noted, 13 of these bills mentioned in the SONA were already approved by the Lower House but got stalled at the Senate during the 18th Congress.

A day after the SONA, Diokno headed an economic briefing held at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City. Led by the Cabinet officials led by VP Sara Duterte, Diokno invited fellow Cabinet officials of the economic, infrastructure, human development, and poverty reduction Clusters. Each of them provided details and specific actions on the socio-economic programs that were laid down in the President’s SONA. Among other things, the administration’s blueprint was presented in the 8-point agenda to reduce poverty rate and achieve upper middle-income status by the end of the six-year medium term development plans.

A former Congressman of the second district of Ilocos Norte for two terms and as Senator for six years, President Marcos would know very well how to push for a common legislative agenda with both chambers of the present Congress.

“We must keep the momentum. And aspire to BUILD BETTER MORE,” President Marcos urged in his SONA. This sounded like Salceda’s BBM bill.