PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will talk about “a very difficult period in our history” when he delivers his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 27.
“I will make sure that people know all of the things that we have done to navigate this very difficult period in our history, where we are buffeted by all of these external forces,” Marcos told reporters on Friday.
This year’s SONA comes at a time when the country is grappling with a variety of challenges, including geopolitical tensions in the West Philippine Sea, economic hardships brought about by the escalating war in the Middle East and climate-related disasters.
The administration also faces scrutiny for its handling of the flood control scandal and the implementation of economic reforms to cushion the impact of the Middle East conflict.
The president said that despite the turbulences, he is confident in the government’s response.
“Our response has been good, and we have had to make adjustments, but those adjustments have been effective and have served their purpose. And I know that it has helped people weather this storm and continue to weather this storm until things hopefully normalize,” he said.
The president, who is writing his own speech, said he is not yet done, and revisions can still be made even an hour before he delivers it.
“I’m still changing it, you know, because, of course, we want it to be perfect. But on the whole, yes, on the whole, I would say the actual language is, we’re just fixing it up and making sure that it’s not too long or too short, that we have everything that we want to talk about already,” he said.
His SONA last year stood out after he admonished lawmakers who were allegedly involved in the flood control scandal.
The president refused to say if his speech will follow up on the issue. Stay tuned for the next chapter,” he said in Filipino.
