[Delivered at the Batasang Pambansa Complex, Quezon City on Monday, July 27, 2026]
Former Presidents Joseph Ejercito Estrada and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo;
Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian and Honorable Members of the Senate;
House Speaker Faustino Dy III and Honorable Members of the House of Representatives;
Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo and Honorable Justices of the Supreme Court;
His Excellency the Most Reverend Charles John Brown and Esteemed Members of the Diplomatic Corps;
Executive Secretary Ralph Recto and Honorable Members of the Cabinet;
First Lady Louise Araneta–Marcos;
Other Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
Good afternoon.
Advertisements
Fellow countrymen, I am here again to fulfill my duty, and to report to you on the state of our country, and the actions of the government.
It’s been a year since I last stood here, to expose the corruption we discovered in flood control projects.
As I promised you, we conducted a comprehensive and five-pronged investigation, without bias to anyone. We examined thoroughly, and followed where the evidence led us. We did everything we could to get to the bottom of it.
There are already those who have been charged and imprisoned: contractors; high-ranking DPWH officials; and even legislators.
In conjunction with the cases filed, your government has ensured that the money they took from the people will be recovered from the conspirators.
Likewise, we prevented the release of public money that should have been used to pay for defective, fake, or imaginary projects, and would have ended up in the pockets of corrupt contractors and officials.
The amount of money and property recovered, frozen, and preserved by the accused is nearly twenty-five billion pesos. We immediately returned more than eight hundred million pesos of this to the Treasury.
All proceeds recovered from those involved in corruption will be immediately returned to the public treasury.
We are leaving the prosecution to the Ombudsman and our strengthened National Prosecution Service.
We also trust in the court’s just verdict.
You can trust that the wheels of justice are turning.
Despite this event, we must move forward towards change.
All your reports and complaints have been helpful in the Report to the President. Your vigilance and intervention in the government is the key to fighting corruption.
The DPWH reform has begun.
We have brought in new graduates, along with straight and reliable job orders and contracts of service.
Aside from flood control projects, all projects were reviewed and ensured to be truly necessary and sound — from plan, price, to implementation.
To avoid overpricing, we ensure that materials are at market prices.
Each project and the allocated funds are closely monitored by the Transparency Portal, Integrity Chain, and partner Civil Society Organizations.
Since the effects of the war in the Middle East hit our country, we immediately declared a State of National Energy Emergency.
Our mission is one: UPLIFT — to lift our struggling citizens.
All agencies have been instructed to economize, and focus more on programs that are more important in addressing the effects of the crisis.
We have poured funds where they are deserved and more needed: on basic services that are tangible and will definitely help the people.
We saved the people’s money that almost ended up in the pockets of corrupt officials. Instead, we used it for good, and for the true welfare of the people.
We have allocated an additional nearly fifty-eight billion pesos in funds to local governments, so that they can serve the people faster and more widely. We have high trust and confidence in local governments. This is also a preparation for more and broader services for their constituents.
We started with those directly affected by the conflict: assisting our OFW compatriots caught up in the war. This is an important mission of the government, given that over two and a half million Filipinos work in the Middle East.
Since the outbreak of the war, we have safely brought back more than twelve thousand of our compatriots. We have provided various assistance to more than one hundred and forty thousand OFWs amid the turmoil in the Middle East, such as food, financial assistance, medical care, and shelter.
Upon returning to the Philippines, we helped them to start working again, through the AKSYON Fund and OWWA-Kabuhayan program. Others were brought closer to PESO, or we joined the Bayanihan for the Balikbayang Manggagawa job fairs. While others were helped to find work abroad.
In addition to them, our returning OFW teachers will be entering public schools where they are needed the most. Because of this, in the Philippines, they are the Ma’am and Sir.
Our relations with various countries and our support for OFWs for their safety continue, especially since we have compatriots who have died or are missing in the Middle East.
Second, as a result of our good relations with various countries, we have ensured that we have sufficient oil supplies for our needs.
Despite the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, we have been able to purchase and import from other source countries, such as Japan, South Korea, Oman, India, even Russia, and even China. Because of these, we have been able to ensure sufficient supply for the country to last for almost two months.
We also spoke with Iran, for the safety of our thousands of compatriot crew members in the Strait of Hormuz.
With the cooperation of our oil companies, the increase in petrol prices was not sudden, but rather gradual over the course of a week. This is to bring relief to our struggling consumers.
We have also set a series of large price rollbacks that oil companies must comply with.
With the help of the law passed by our Congress, we immediately suspended the imposition of excise taxes on LPG and then on kerosene for three months.
Apart from this, we also immediately limited the increase in the price of our imported rice.
We also arrested and charged those who were caught taking advantage of the suffering of the people during the state of energy emergency.
We have done everything possible to lower prices and slow their increase.
Many have been affected or have lost their jobs during this time.
That’s why we continue to hold job fairs across the country. On May Day, Labor Day and the height of high crude oil prices, we held almost a hundred job fairs, where we announced almost three hundred thousand jobs to the public.
During this one-day job fair, over six thousand Filipinos were hired on-the-spot. We also distributed salaries for over one hundred thousand beneficiaries and worked under DILEEP and TUPAD of DOLE.
Let’s take immediate action to stop the rapid increase in the price of goods. Banks and e-wallets have been encouraged to reduce the standard fees for each online transaction. So now, many banks and e-wallets have lowered or eliminated the online transaction fees they charge.
To provide relief to the people, banks have granted up to six months of grace period for loan repayment; and up to one year if the loan was used for agriculture.
The GSIS and SSS did the same for the debts of their members, as did the NHMFC for those who borrowed for low-cost housing, and the Pag-IBIG Fund for affected OFWs.
At least this has brought relief to consumers, especially those who are making down payments for their housing, and those who are making funds for their businesses.
At a time when incomes were dwindling due to high prices, more than twenty-six thousand tons of rice were distributed to more than two and a half million families. And we will continue this until eight million families benefit.
The Benteng Bigas Meron Na program is still ongoing. It provides relief to more than twelve million Filipinos nationwide.
Our more than eight hundred KADIWAs throughout the Philippines are still helping consumers, and farmers and fishermen who are able to directly sell their products.
We also provided support to nearly two million farmers and fisherfolk during the height of high oil prices, under the Presidential Assistance to Farmers, Fisherfolk, and Families or what is known as PAFFF.
Because of our stronger, wider, and cheaper internet, online classes and work-from-home have become a great alternative.
Our electricity prices are high, especially this June, still driven by high crude oil prices and the strengthening of the Dollar. However, we have ensured that the people are given some protection on their electric bills.
We have ordered the immediate refund of electricity companies that have overcharged their customers.
We have also ordered that select consumers be allowed to pay their bills in installments during the months of May, June, and July. In this regard, we have temporarily prohibited line disconnections while they are still paying their bills in installments during these months.
For our micro-entrepreneurs, the BIR is implementing this year a “one-time tax abatement.” Its goal is to provide some relief to those who have suffered losses or whose income has decreased due to the difficult times.
The transportation sector has been hit hardest by the impact of the crisis. Drivers, operators, passengers, workers, and businesses — everyone has been hit hard by the steep increase in the price of petroleum products.
But we cannot let it stop or delay, because it serves as the piston of our economy.
The drivers were helped with cash relief assistance from our AICS program. There are also ten
peso-per-liter diesel subsidy for passenger jeepneys and UV Express to increase cargo capacity.
Additionally, more than one million and eight hundred thousand passengers were also offered assistance by AICS.
For passengers, there were Free Rides, with several government agencies even providing assistance using their vehicles. The DA also took over the delivery of agricultural product shipments to trade centers across the country.
And to further help both drivers and passengers, we have revived the Service Contracting Program for public buses and jeepneys.
Under this system, qualified operators or drivers earn additional income for each kilometer traveled in serving passengers.
On the passenger side, if the ride is not free, he has a 20% discount on the fare. And this discount is in addition to the usual 20% discount for students, seniors, and the disabled. This means that for our priority passengers, their total discount on the fare is 40%.
There is also TUPAD Tuloy-Pasada, where pampasada drivers have additional income.
With these programs alone, millions of Filipinos—whether drivers or passengers—have felt a little more comfortable in their daily commutes since their launch. Not only here in Metro Manila, but across the country.
Here in Metro Manila, all LRT2 and MRT3 riders continue to enjoy a fifty percent discount on their fares. This is in addition to the special discounts we offer on Sundays and important holidays.
At our airports and seaports, we have temporarily reduced various fees for the use of facilities. Such as terminal fees, landing and take-off fees, harbor fees, anchorage and berthing fees, as well as storage fees.
For example, at Cebu Port, the terminal fee has become free. At airports, we have also reduced the service charge for passengers.
Likewise, at PITX — the terminal connecting Metro Manila to the South; we have suspended the charging of terminal fees for passenger vehicles for three months. On the Expressways, they have discounts on toll fees, which amount to almost two hundred pesos.
And when the cargo transported by Ro-Ro is agricultural products and food ingredients, we have lowered the terminal fee from five hundred. Now, they are only charged one peso. As they pass through the Expressways, the toll fee for trucks accredited by the DA is free.
Because of all these measures, millions of Filipinos have at least partially felt the direct impact of the high fuel prices. They are our public transportation drivers; students; workers, as well as farmers, and many other passengers throughout the Philippines.
Fellow countrymen, as we look back, I can face you and say that we did everything we could to address the effects of the crisis. The entire government acted immediately to help the people. In fact, we were even admired for the speed, agility, and proactiveness of our response.
Five months since the outbreak of the war, we still feel the weight of its effects on our country.
As long as necessary, you can expect the government’s support to continue. We have allocated over sixty billion pesos for this, until the end of the year.
The funds we saved, which were intended to be pocketed by corrupt officials, will be poured into our people.
Now, we will focus our programs on our fellow Filipinos who need it most, so that the aid can reach a wider and more diverse audience.
Our goal is to help the three and a half million beneficiaries of the 4Ps and Walang Gutom Program, the one and a half million minimum wage workers who are members of the SSS, and the two and a half million of our poor countrymen who have not yet been beneficiaries of the government’s assistance program.
Our ongoing support for the transportation sector, agriculture, and OFWs affected by the unrest is still there.
In total, we can help more than seven and a half million families in dire need in this difficult chapter.
But we cannot forget Filipino workers, especially the middle-class, as well as small businesses. We know that they are also burdened by the impact of the crisis.
So, to ensure the continued progress of the middle class amid the lingering effects of the crisis, we will pursue tax relief measures that promote growth, generate revenue, and advance equity toward socio-economic sustainability.
The lessons for us from the past months are clear:
First, the importance of the security and stability of the country, when it comes to energy and food; of our relations with other countries; and of every citizen no matter where they are.
Second, the government’s ability to act promptly, appropriately and effectively;
And the third: the perseverance and vigilance of Filipinos despite the challenges they face.
Armed with these fresh lessons, we can respond better and faster to disaster victims.
Like the earthquake that occurred in Visayas and Mindanao recently.
We have helped more than six hundred thousand families. We have poured over three billion pesos into immediate assistance to the families who were most affected. This is through food, medical care, financial assistance, and housing.
We are also gradually restoring water and electricity supplies, communication lines, and roads in the affected areas.
We are not just providing one-time assistance. Our mission is to help them recover and thrive.
We have moved on from the reactive approach. Now, we’re not only proactive, but predictive as well, aided by digital tools. The strategies of public-private supply chains, hubs-and-spokes warehousing, automated production, and wide-scale pre-positioning of food and non-food supplies in LGUs, have proven their efficacy.
We have now established a network — consisting of primary disaster resource centers in Luzon, Visayas, and soon, in Mindanao; 15 hubs; 76 spokes; and 919 last-mile facilities across the country — which makes up our nationwide disaster response infrastructure. Because of this robust system, delivery of emergency nourishment and relief to target areas is now made possible under 24 hours.
In times of crisis or calamity, the government is ready to dispatch Mobile Energy Systems to deliver emergency power to areas that have lost electricity.
Complementing these are our Government Emergency Communications System and the private sector-led, and our first-ever, satellite-to-mobile service, both of which guarantee uninterrupted telecommunications nationwide in the event of crises and disasters.
And because we now have the concept of a State of Imminent Disaster, we will no longer wait for a disaster to occur. We will take immediate action to prepare and respond.
And so, taking all these lessons to heart, our overarching mission and all our conscious efforts henceforth must not be to simply UPLIFT, but to ensure SECURITY and SELF-SUFFICIENCY of our nation and of our fellow Filipinos.
As we have witnessed the increase in the price of petroleum, many of our countrymen have relied on public transportation.
That is why the Administration is focusing on our trains, busways, transport hubs and integrated terminals, and the improvement and expansion of airports and seaports across the country. This is to provide wider and longer reach, increase capacity, and make services more modern and convenient.
For example, next year, the North-South Commuter Railway trains will run between Valenzuela and Malolos. The DOTr will strive to
By the end of this Administration, the railway to Clark will also be completed.
Next year, twelve stations of MRT 7 will also open. After almost three decades, a new MRT line will extend to Sacred Heart, Quezon City, from North Avenue. And one day, it will even reach San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan. This will be a great convenience for almost a million passengers every day.
Thanks to the recently enacted Accelerated and Reformed Right of Way Act, right of way issues are now quickly resolved, removing the biggest chokepoint in our mass transit development program.
On the other hand, the first part of the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit is already open; and the one in Ilocos Norte will also be inaugurated next year.
Those who modernized their vehicles, especially those who switched to hybrid and electric vehicles, did not feel the pinch of rising gasoline prices.
Consistent with our clean energy drive, we have encouraged the adoption of electric vehicles. We have removed all tariffs on EVs until 2028 to bring down market prices, and the government has also been mandated to prioritize electric vehicles in their fleeting plans.
This clean and green policy is two-pronged: it shall also spur growth of our domestic local industries across the EV value chain, specifically those involved in the vehicle assembly and manufacturing of batteries and related spare parts.
Our goal is that by 2040, half of all vehicles will be EVs.
Some of the innovative Love Buses and the articulated buses that will be used in Davao City are EVs.
The M/B Dalaray, which we recently inaugurated, is also an EV, developed through a collaboration between UP and DOST. In the future, this electric ferry boat will be used on the Pasig River Ferry Service, from Pinagbuhatan in Pasig to Escolta in Manila.
Therefore, I request the support of the entire industry so that we can implement our desired Modernization of Public Transportation as soon as possible. We will ensure that its implementation will be humane, easy, and fair.
As I mentioned, all public infrastructure must be of high quality, durable, and deliver long-term comfort to the people.
This year, the section of the South Luzon Expressway-TR4 from Sto. Tomas City, Batangas to Tiaong, Quezon will be completed. Nearly seventeen thousand motorists daily will benefit from it.
The damaged bridges — in San Juanico in Eastern Visayas, Cabagan-Sta. Maria in Isabela, Piggatan in Cagayan, Calbiga and Liloan in Samar, and Panul-iran in Iligan — were quickly repaired and are now back in use.
Aside from the one hundred and thirty-seven evacuation centers that have been built nationwide, the construction of Ligtas Pinoy Centers will begin this year. First, in areas that are often hit by severe weather, such as Bicol, Eastern Samar, Bukidnon, and Davao de Oro.
These buildings are designed to withstand severe disasters, such as super-typhoons that
Winds were 340 kilometers per hour, and a magnitude 8.4 earthquake.
The same should be true of the high quality and durability of all private infrastructure. All buildings in our country must be prepared, and able to remain strong and resilient against any threat of disaster and calamity.
Therefore, it is only fitting to prioritize and focus on amending the National Building Code to bring it into line with modern standards.
Alongside the fight against corruption related to ghost and substandard flood control projects, we also launched Oplan Kontra Baha nationwide.
Here in Metro Manila, the MMDA is diligently cleaning up the esteros and sewers.
Cash-for-work programs have helped in the widespread cleanup of more than two hundred esteros and waterways from Luzon to Mindanao — in Ilocos Sur, Cagayan, CamSur, Negros Occidental, Cebu, Capiz, Iloilo, Lanao Del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Misamis Oriental, and Bukidnon.
Despite all these efforts, we still need to correct our waste disposal methods.
One systemic intervention is to update our 25-year-old Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, aligning it with modern waste management practices, such as waste-to-energy and waste treatment technology.
As we recalibrate our solid waste management systems, we can draw inspiration from the solid waste management practices being championed by the MMDA here in Metro Manila, such as waste recovery, processing, and upcycling.
For example, what used to be the Carmona Sanitary Landfill of the 1990s is now the MMDA Nature Park. More than a multi-purpose green space, it shall soon be the base of its high-level disaster preparedness training and simulation exercises.
Likewise, we are strengthening our agricultural system to guarantee our food supply, and lower its price for everyone.
Various programs, such as capital, farm inputs, equipment, knowledge, and even insurance, assist farmers and fisherfolk.
So since 2023, production in the country has continued to increase. Cropping intensity is increasing, and yields are increasing, such as rice, corn, sugar, pork, and chicken.
This is driven by a strong outpouring of support for the sector, the improving and expanding coverage of infrastructure and irrigation systems, and increasing levels of mechanization.
Farmers and fishermen are also joining forces, and are blessed with modern technology, seeds, and facilities and equipment. Some of these include one hundred and forty-five rice processing systems, three large cold storage facilities, and almost forty thousand pieces of machinery.
Coconut plantations are also increasing and expanding, thanks to our program of extensive planting throughout the country. We have already planted eighteen million trees, and planting is still ongoing. Our goal is that by the end of the Administration, we will have planted one hundred million coconut trees. This will guarantee the sustainability of
our coconut industry for decades to come.
The NFA also now has a stronger ability to purchase farmers’ produce at better prices, and to store buffer stock.
Various pests and diseases also threaten to destroy the expected good profits. Examples here are Avian Flu and ASF. Therefore, the DA will ensure that farmers learn modern knowledge and effective methods to prevent and combat them.
However, insurance serves as an effective shield against losses caused by loss or damage due to unforeseen events. In the past four years, the sector has been helped to recover the cost of business losses, which reached nineteen billion pesos in compensation.
Crop insurance today is not just limited to crops.
This coverage includes livestock, fisheries, equipment and facilities, as well as agricultural vehicles. There is also life insurance for farmers and fishermen themselves.
The Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation and DA will further expand the knowledge of farmers and fisherfolk about crop insurance.
To provide peace of mind to the beneficiaries of agrarian reform, we are continuously distributing land titles awarded to them.
So in four years, we have distributed more than four hundred thousand titles to them, with a total area of more than five hundred thousand hectares. We will finish distributing the titles next year.
Many of the beneficiaries waited for thirty to sixty years. Others were lucky enough to witness the release of their titles. Over time, others were the recipients of their grandchildren.
Equally important to them is the security that comes with freedom from debt.
So you can expect that this year we will complete the cancellation of our beneficiaries’ debts.
Despite these, DAR’s support for agrarian reform, such as irrigation, roads, machinery, and loans for its beneficiaries, continues.
So, Secretary Conrad, don’t think you can retire now. You still have a lot of work to do at the DAR.
The past few months have reminded us that we need to increase our electricity sources. This is a sign of being a strong country.
So we are currently monitoring and focusing on two hundred projects that will be completed by the end of this Administration. Their total capacity is almost ten thousand megawatts. Forty-five of them have been completed. Thirty-one will be completed this year. And one hundred and twenty-four are expected to be completed by 2028.
In addition, more than 1,700 megawatts are provided by projects for energy storage systems, which have the ability to store electricity.
This will provide additional security by 2028 for nearly thirty million households and industries in the country.
These projects have been accelerated by new policies and processes that make it easier to do business in our country, for Filipino and foreign businessmen.
But of course, we value technologies that do not rely on imported crude oil more — powered by our country’s natural resources, such as renewables and indigenous ones.
Aside from several plants powered by crude oil, we have added more than sixty plants powered by geothermal, solar, hydro, wind, and biomass.
Because of the extension of the Malampaya service contract until 2039, drilling operations once again resumed for the first time in eight years.
What we have uncovered is truly a national treasure: an untapped reserve of 222 billion cubic feet of natural gas, which bodes well for the continuous production of our premier gas field until 2034.
To put it in context, 222 billion cubic feet of natural gas is sufficient to power 1.6 million households for the next eight years until 2034.
Inspired by this development, we have already awarded a total of fourteen petroleum service contracts—in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. By far, this is the highest number of such contracts ever to be awarded during a single term of any President in our history.
Four of the contracts that we have so far awarded are for the production of hydrogen, which is native to our motherland.
Hydrogen gas will serve as back-up fuel for our power plants, especially useful for our off-grid areas. It is also touted as the world’s clean fuel of the future.
Two of the newly awarded petroleum service contracts are co-managed with BARMM Government. This is the first time in our political history. BARMM is now firmly set to pursue its strategic vision of energy security and total electrification for and in the Bangsamoro region.
Despite the steps we have taken to ensure our energy security, I am confident that we can go even further.
We have begun to embark on the establishment of hydrogen power plants. Multiple projects are now in their pre-developmental stage in Marinduque, Masbate, Zamboanga Sibugay, Basilan, and other potential areas.
Pushing the envelope further, perhaps it is time for us to revisit nuclear energy production. We are already using nuclear energy in the fields of medicine, agriculture, water filtration, and the upcycling of plastic.
We are confident in its capacity to reinforce our energy security and bring down the cost of electricity in our country.
We will ensure that it is safe. We will also ensure that the benefits of nuclear energy are well explained to the public.
Compatriots, in all that we are doing in the energy sector, the government is also clear about the people’s demands to lower the price of electricity in the country.
To make it simple, easy, and affordable to install solar panels and battery storage systems in their homes, I request the help of Congress to pass the “Sariling Kuryente” Act.
When the Administration began, we immediately laid out a national policy on the “social protection floor” that would ensure that our people are provided with food and shelter, especially in times of need.
That’s why DOLE’s DILEEP and TUPAD, and DSWD’s AICS and Risk Resiliency Program are there to serve as a bridge to any crisis we are going through, through temporary employment or financial assistance.
But the long-term security that comes from stable jobs is still better. Many jobs are provided by our local industry, which we continue to strengthen.
Along with the security that comes with a stable job, the SSS, GSIS, and Pag-IBIG Fund serve as protection for Filipino workers.
With the help of these agencies, Filipino workers can save for their old age and retirement. This also helps in times of emergency, calamity, or crisis in life.
Apart from that, this is a way to fund your own home, such as affordable housing under our 4PH Program.
DHSUD and its member agencies in the housing system are here to make the Filipino dream of owning a home a reality. In partnership with the private sector and local governments, we are actively addressing the housing shortage nationwide. This is through new communities, acquired assets of the Pag-IBIG Fund, Community Mortgage Program, resettlements, and even rentals.
In our housing program, we have already built or funded more than five hundred thousand houses, including the more than one hundred thousand houses we have added in just one year under our expanded 4PH program.
Key to all of this is a good credit system, to make housing more affordable for Filipinos.
One of these is the Pag-IBIG Fund. Its seventeen million members now continue to grow, so the amount of funding members contribute also continues to grow. Now, we have raised the housing loan limit to ten million pesos.
For example, because of this, couples are more able to buy their dream home for their family.
Today, almost seven million OFWs have insurance. Because of this, we can be assured that our OFWs are well cared for and assisted.
We also continue to increase our agreements with other countries, for additional opportunities for employment abroad. We have also increased the minimum wage for our OFWs who work as domestic workers.
For our retired uniformed personnel who sacrificed for the security of our Republic, starting this year, we have increased the pensions and subsistence allowances they receive.
As an additional aid to SSS pensioners, we have brought forward the ten percent increase in their pensions starting in June, which was originally scheduled for September.
Since the administration began, approximately forty-four million Filipinos have been protected by the SSS. More than eighty thousand of them are drivers, shopkeepers and vendors, gig workers, job order and contract of service workers, and others in the informal sector.
We have continued their service with the government’s Contracts of Service and Job Orders. We have even allocated additional salaries for their contributions to SSS, Pag-IBIG, and PhilHealth, among other benefits.
Our mission is to have more Filipinos join the SSS, especially the informal sector and self-employed people like them.
That is why I call on the entire people: let us not neglect the security offered by the SSS, including the Pag-IBIG Fund. Let us ensure proper and monthly contributions for the betterment of our future.
It is good news that more and more of our countrymen are taking out insurance and pre-need from the private sector. This is also a good foundation for the future.
This is for all Filipinos. It has also been made more affordable, because of the micro-insurance plans now in the market; registered and legitimate.
And even better news is that our youth, at a young age, are already opening bank accounts or digital payment apps.
Let’s encourage and teach them to save and invest for their future.
However, education is still the main driver of competence, which is why it still tops the Administration’s list.
We start this from childhood. And this must be continuous, and never stop. That is why lifelong learning and continuous self-improvement must be instilled in the hearts and minds of Filipinos.
The past few months have reminded us of the importance of reskilling and upskilling our workers.
We are proving the capabilities of our Senior High graduates. In the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fairs we conducted in March, more than one and a half thousand Senior High graduates were “hired-on-the-spot”. They can now also apply for vacant first-level positions in the government.
But we continue to strengthen the Senior High curriculum to better prepare students for the real world. We have intensified work immersion so that they can personally experience working in their desired field.
We are confident in our education after Senior High, due to the continued increase in the quality of colleges in our country.
In 2022, only twelve of our colleges made it to the World University Rankings for Innovation or WURI. This number continues to increase every year.
Today, one hundred and forty colleges have entered the World University Rankings. More than half of them are state and local universities and colleges, where tuition is free.
To encourage young people to graduate from college, the Office of the President has allocated one hundred thousand pesos for five students in each barangay nationwide. They are now our Presidential Scholars.
Our tech-voc or TVET programs are also effective tools for life. Currently, the placement rate of those who have completed the tech-voc course is 81%.
For example, in the Tsuper Iskolar program and the En-TSUPER-neur program, drivers were taught new livelihood skills.
Through the DOLE and DA program, more than ten thousand farmers and fisherfolk across the country will also be taught new knowledge.
“Tech-Pro” is already included in Senior High. And it is progressive and “ladderized”, to be a bridge to immediate employment, and also a step towards continued education and training.
A TVET graduate can use his or her National Certificate or NC as a foundation to continue studying until it becomes a full college diploma.
For example, Electrical Installation and Maintenance in Senior High can one day lead to Electrical Engineering. Caregiving can one day lead to Nursing.
On the other hand, a college graduate can still take an NC to pursue a different field, or even have a business they want to try.
DOLE and TESDA are disclosing to the public complete information on TVET courses and programs; locations of training centers and providers; how to apply; dates; and other important details. The TESDA Passport is now a great help as a result of the digitalization of your services.
In line with our digital transformation drive, our DICT continues to train our tech-savvy citizenry in high-impact tech skills to help them stay competitive in this ever-evolving field.
And AI is here to stay; and so we adopt it to harness its potential to enhance critical sectors, from our educational system to our industries.
We have launched massive training programs for AI readiness, which have reached at least 1.8 million individuals, students, parents, and teachers alike. This success inspires confidence to further scale up our initiatives for AI literacy across all sectors. We must ensure our global competitiveness.
Within and beyond the academy, we must inculcate in our youth the virtues of critical thinking, innovativeness, creativity, as well as the ability to find solutions to problems.
Our targeted scholarships and funding grants are all aimed at encouraging these trailblazing traits. Contests, such as the Young Creatives Challenge, the NICE and Filipinnovation Awards, recognize their talent and hard work.
At the same time, we have to do more to protect our children.
We must protect them from the harmful influences and forces that exploit their vulnerability:
The corrosive influence of fake news;
The unfettered exposure to pornography, even to minors; The constant depiction of casual violence; and
The toxicity and hate culture pervasive in social media.
These pernicious influences lead to issues of their mental health, rise in teenage pregnancies and HIV/AIDS cases, and other extremely harmful consequences.
We must all assume a community responsibility for our young people’s protection.
The recent deaths of our students due to violence and neglect have left a huge void in their families, and are also bitter lessons for all of us.
To the parents and relatives of those who died and were injured due to the violence that occurred in schools, please accept our sincere condolences.
To the parents of Chris Lorenz Fabian, Joyancee Separa, and Ayessa Nicole Dazo: we are all so very proud of the unflinching bravery and heroic virtue that you have instilled in your children. They are an inspiration to us all.
Their courage and selflessness — true Filipino qualities — are the virtues that these trying times call for.
The entire society needs to wake up and take responsibility. Let’s increase our guidance and nurturing of our youth.
We are all in this mission together: the government, family, school, church, industry, and community.
The school will become a second home for them. That is why we are preparing public schools to welcome them generously.
This school year, our school-based feeding program continues as an effective support for learning. Through this program, we will be able to feed more than four and a half million Kinder and Grade 1 students, and Grade 2 and above, who are in dire need of nutrition.
The local government, the barangay, PNP, and DepEd will work together to strengthen school security.
DepEd has ensured that mechanisms and processes for reporting and responding to bullying incidents, including emergencies, are in place, operational, and widely known. We are preparing our principals and teachers to intervene to resolve any misunderstandings among students.
With the help of the first batch of ten thousand School Counselor Associates that we will be introducing to public schools, our children will now have someone to turn to for appropriate advice on any difficult issues they are going through or are worrying about.
The honor and greatness of our teachers will never be forgotten in our minds.
I promised in my last SONA that no Teacher I teacher would retire. Today, over eighty thousand teachers and School Heads in public schools have been promoted through our Expanded Career Progression. There have also been over thirty thousand additional positions created to strengthen the teaching force.
To facilitate effective instruction, we also continue to provide them with helpful and innovative teaching aids, such as Smart TVs, laptops, tablets, free mobile data, and even lapel microphones.
To dramatically increase the traditional annual production output of DepEd, we have activated force multipliers in addressing classroom shortages, tapping the DPWH, PAGCOR, and the LGUs, as additional production arms.
For its part, the private sector too will construct its initial share of more than 16,000 classrooms in Luzon, by way of PPPs. Additional PPPs with higher production targets will soon follow for the Visayas and Mindanao.
When someone in the family gets sick, it feels like a crisis has struck. With the high cost of treatment, it can eat away at a family’s income or savings.
That’s why we primarily promote healthy living: complete vaccinations; proper nutrition; regular exercise; and avoiding bad habits and dangerous activities.
Sports are also important to us. We have tripled our support for it. Not only because of the entertainment it brings, but also for health. With our overwhelming support for Alex Eala, we hope that many will be encouraged to learn and play not only tennis but also other sports.
In the example of the Philippine women’s football team, I hope football becomes more popular in our country and more people will play it. One day, the Philippines might even be able to participate in the World Cup.
Our Universal Health Care system is the primary health security for every Filipino, in partnership with the DOH and PhilHealth.
The diligent wins. This is the goal of our YAKAP Program: keep Filipinos away from disease; and address impending illnesses early.
This year, four and a half million people have been screened out of the twenty-five million Filipinos registered in this program.
We hope that more clinics will join YAKAP, so that our citizens will have more choices.
With this related GAMOT program, PhilHealth members can obtain necessary medicines from over two thousand accredited providers.
Each member has a benefit limit of twenty thousand pesos per year.
Now, seventy-five essential medicines are included in the list of this program. There are antibiotics, for asthma, high blood pressure and cholesterol; for diabetes, cough, fever, and other commonly experienced illnesses.
In the first seven months of this year, more than three hundred thousand of our countrymen have benefited from these medicines.
Aside from this PhilHealth program, the number of medicines that we have eliminated VAT on has reached over two thousand. More than seven hundred of these are for cancer; more than five hundred are for high blood pressure; and more than six hundred are for diabetes and also for mental health. With this tax that we have eliminated, the side effect is its lower price at the pharmacy.
But if disease prevention is our real goal, this is still not enough. We need to be vigilant earlier.
That’s why we are expanding this program. Next year, we will gradually include different types of blood tests and medications to detect and monitor possible kidney, liver, thyroid, and hepatitis B diseases earlier.
PhilHealth is still there to provide great support if you really need to go to the hospital. PhilHealth continues to expand its coverage of diseases, conditions, and services. It has also increased the limit, to ensure that it keeps pace with rising prices.
PhilHealth prioritizes common and serious diseases, such as cancer and heart disease. It now also includes HIV/AIDS treatment, to help curb the increasing number of cases in the country. As well as TB, which claims nearly a hundred lives every day here in our country.
To further enhance our support for children with Developmental Disabilities, we will double the PhilHealth package for check-ups and therapy. We will also increase the number of therapy sessions covered by PhilHealth from ninety to one hundred and fifty.
DSWD’s Project Aruga is also waiting for them for additional financial assistance.
From over five million Filipino families who used PhilHealth in 2022, more than seven and a half million families have enjoyed PhilHealth benefits this past year.
All of this is the result of our diligent advocacy, streamlined registration process, and faster payments to hospitals and healthcare providers.
And since it was launched after the last SONA, almost three million of our fellow citizens have not paid a penny for their medical treatment, thanks to our Zero-Balance Billing in the wards of DOH hospitals.
Of course, we cannot forget the reliable Medical Assistance or MAIFIP. More hospitals are now covered, making the process even easier. And now, there is “e-MAIFIP” in DOH hospitals: online and included in our eGovPH app. There are only two requirements. There is also no GL-GL, so there is no need to queue or beg any politician.
With over fifty-six million people who have downloaded and are already using our eGovPH app, that many Filipinos — including their families — will now have easy access to this vital medical assistance from the national government.
So at this point, more than eight million patients have been helped by the reliable MAIFIP.
With the changes we have made, it will help more people, at any level in society. This is our way of ensuring that citizens benefit from the taxes they pay.
A large portion of the funds we saved from corruption in flood control projects, we poured into Education, Food, DOH, PhilHealth, and MAIFIP. To truly help heal and strengthen the bodies of Filipinos.
We are continuing to improve the system of hospitals and facilities in the country, including BUCAS and specialty centers. There are also VALOR Clinics exclusively for our veterans and their families. And we will also begin drawing up plans to establish a Virology and Vaccine Institute here in the country.
At the same time, the number of specialists in the field of medicine and health is also increasing. Since we began, the number of people receiving medical scholarships in exchange for the obligation to serve in public hospitals one day has more than doubled.
Through their exemplary public service, our Doctors to the Barrios serve as role models for our future generations of Filipino doctors.
As we have witnessed and proven during this difficult period, our strong foreign relations have earned us incalculable dividends. The Philippines is once again a full member of the community of nations.
Our vigilant trade facilitation efforts have resulted in integrating our country into the international free trade network that is the widest and most active one we have ever had in our history. It has yielded transformative economic agreements, such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. And now, we are set to seal yet another promising Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, this time with the United Arab Emirates.
Because of these international engagements, the Philippines now has 23 free trade agreements in force or under active negotiations with other countries.
Our exports have been growing, reflecting high productivity and the increasing competitiveness of our products and services in the international trade market.
It now behooves us to reinforce our strengths, enhance our comparative advantage, and diversify our portfolio.
On this principle, we have maintained our competitiveness in supplying critical components to top tech companies in the world. We have also maintained export competitiveness for our indigenous farm products, such as ube, coconut, bananas, and other tropical fruits. Now, we have ventured into new and viable ones, like enoki mushrooms.
Foreign investments continue to pour in because of our beneficial policies, especially those promoting ease of doing business and accelerating digital transformation that curb red tape and corruption.
Over the past three years, more than six trillion pesos in investments have been facilitated through our Green Lanes. These are estimated to create over 400,000 jobs for our fellow Filipinos.
Our productive ecozones lay down the fertile groundwork that brings these investments into actual fruition, posting consistent growth rates over the past three years. Extending beyond Metro Manila — from Luzon to Mindanao — promising new areas have been recently proclaimed, such as in Dumaguete and Misamis Oriental.
And soon, we’ll also present a strong case for Palawan and for the Halal industry.
We continue to strive for bigger and greater things, venturing into areas heretofore unimaginable. That is, strategic and emerging industries that position our country in the global value-chain, such as in the fields of pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing, luxury goods, technology, and logistics.
Additionally, a product of the 23-member strong and US-led Pax Silica Initiative, the Pax Silica Industrial Hub will create an eco-system that will have AI at its core. It will bring quality jobs to our people, accelerate our industrial competitiveness, and revitalize our economy.
As a strategic component of the Luzon Economic Corridor, the hub will be an advanced manufacturing and logistics center in the global AI and technology value chain.
Cagayan is both geographically and economically primed to serve as our gateway to space and host the country’s first spaceport. A sounding rocket launch test is slated for next year, in partnership with a South Korean aerospace company.
We do not have to look, or sail, very far to find dependable allies. ASEAN is our safe harbor, within which we share not only mutual proximity, but affinity.
During our chairmanship of the ASEAN Summit this year, we advocated for greater solidarity and cooperation among ASEAN Member States. Together, we found ways to alleviate the dire consequences of the war in the Middle East.
Through a united ASEAN and its strong extended network, we have achieved greater security and resilience — as a region and as individual nations — more capable of withstanding disruptive events.
The ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve System will guarantee emergency rice supply in case of shortage in our domestic production.
The ASEAN Digital Economy Framework will harmonize digital rules and enable cross-border digital transactions. It will accelerate the growth of our local tech sector, enable fintech and digital banking solutions, and support financial inclusion, especially for small enterprises.
Likewise, the Framework Agreement on Petroleum Security for the joint stockpiling of energy assets in the region has been ratified.
And now that our Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao grids are fully connected — we are in a better position to connect with our neighbors to help realize the ASEAN Power Grid.
Moved by our stark realizations, ASEAN must further strengthen the bonds of our regional cooperation, building on our sense of filiation and a heightened instinct for mutual assistance. This is international “hero” for this part of the world.
And more significantly, we in ASEAN, joined by the entirety of Filipinos who by nature are peace-loving, echo our unified appeal for an end to violent conflicts.
We appeal to all parties for a heightened sense of community: return to the table, armed only with a genuine desire for peace and normalcy. True diplomacy builds. Violent conflict only destroys.
Peace and order are the foundations of security, for our country, for our region, and for the world.
A long but worthwhile fifteen years since its signing, we are now ready to formalize the historic completion of the Government’s peace pact with the CBA-CPLA.
In accordance with Republic Act No. 12317, the BARMM electorate is now poised to participate in BARMM’s first regular parliamentary elections — a critical accomplishment under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro.
COMELEC, law enforcement, volunteers, deputized agencies, and all stakeholders are now ready to ensure that this defining political exercise will be peaceful, orderly, and credible.
May these inspiring developments strengthen our collective belief in the unity and indivisibility of the Filipino nation amid our individual diversity.
Our unity and collective consciousness are challenged now greater than ever before. A common threat lies before us, directed against our dignity and self-respect as a people.
Of late, our very humanity has been called into question.
Let me remind our friends and our detractors: Filipinos are a noble, kind, gracious, and great race.
We are not greedy. We are not racists. We are not liars.
We are respectful, and we are dignified. We are Filipinos, and we do not yield.
Just recently, we celebrated the tenth anniversary of the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award, which stands as a definitive benchmark for the interpretation and application of the UNCLOS.
This is not a claim that we advance alone, nor one that we will abandon.
Your government will do all that is necessary to continue upholding this Award, utilizing every peaceful and legal means available to the Republic against any attempt, foreign or domestic, to undermine this achievement.
We give honor to our Armed Forces, the Coast Guard, and even our fishermen, who all continue to patrol and ply our seas, though fraught with risks.
To them we owe collective gratitude and appreciation for they gave life to the letter and spirit of the Arbitral Award.
My fellow Filipinos, in the face of such threats to our security, both within and outside the country, let us stand tall and join hands.
Because although we are different in many ways, we are all of one race. We are all Filipinos. Filipinos in spirit; Filipinos by blood.
May unity prevail, and our love for the Motherland and our fellow Filipinos. In this matter, we will not compete. We will unite — as we have demonstrated throughout our history.
We will not be shaken by insults. We will not be oppressed by the oppressor.
In the remaining two years of the Administration, we will finish what we started, and fulfill our promise to the people.
My beloved countrymen, Let us continue the work that we have started.
To make the Philippines the country that Filipinos deserve.
There is no nobler cause than this. We do this for our children.
We do this for our future.
We can but do this, because we love our country and we love our people.
Thank you very much. Good evening.
Long live the Philippines.
ia/xf
