Senator Grace Poe hailed on Monday, July 25 the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. for being “pointed, forceful, and aggressive".
“It confronted gut issues head-on such as hunger that puts at the center the continuation of the feeding program for children and boosting the agricultural sector,” Poe said.
“By vowing not to give up even a square inch of Philippine territory, he stood firm in defending our sovereignty as well as protecting the livelihood of our fishers who risk life at sea to put food on our tables,” she added. She was apparently referring to the Philippine territorial claim in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
Poe, chairwoman of the Senate Public Services Committee, said the digitalization of government services is a program that is well past due.
“As a key plank of the administration’s policy roadmap, we hope that e-governance will enhance services especially to our poor citizens who must no longer wait and line for hours when transacting with government offices,” she explained.
She stressed that it’s high time to shift to high gear the realization of the Public Service Act to entice investors and create employment opportunities.
“We are one with the Filipino people in looking forward to putting our railways projects back on track which will offer faster, safer and bigger-capacity transportation. This, along with the modernization of our airports and seaports will attract more tourists, speed up the movement of goods and make travel seamless,” Poe said.
“With the spotlight trained on the country’s murky water situation, our people’s wait for access to stable and clean water supply must soon be over,” she added.
In a related development, Senate President Pro Tempore Senator Loren Legarda described the SONA as "comprehensive and inspiring".
“The SONA laid out very clearly the work we have to do, 20 legislative measures, outlining our fiscal policies, addressing our needs in health, education, infrastructure, agriculture, transport, Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), even climate,” Legarda added.