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The State of the Nation Address (SONA) is always imbued with optimism, lofty goals and aspirations for the nation. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. did not disappoint—he inspired Filipinos with a dream of a better country.


The President unveiled a six-year economic agenda in his first SONA on July 25 with defined targets that can be measured annually. The speech earned the respect of economists, businessmen and ordinary Filipinos, who hope the President will accomplish his noble intentions.

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. won an overwhelming majority of the votes during the May 2022 national elections. He won almost 59 percent of the total votes cast in a 10-way presidential race. But now that he has been sworn in as President, he becomes the president of all Filipinos and the leader who will face 100 percent of the problems our country is facing.

Governing a nation is not a simple task. Myriad of problems await the chief executive and he has to prioritize which among the issues should be resolved first.


But there are concerns that must be dealt with immediately before things get out of hand. Former president Rodrigo Duterte provided a short-term solution to rising rice prices during his term by easing the importation of the commodity. Philippine rice stocks were low and the clear solution was to address the lack of supply. True enough, rice prices went down quickly—leading to a lower inflation rate.