The influential Makati Business Club (MBC) said the failure to comment on the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte and the impact of the United States’ (US) tariff policy on local industries was among the biggest “misses” of President Marcos’ recent State of the Nation Address (SONA).

In an analysis more than a week after the SONA on July 28, the MBC said it welcomes Marcos’ order to audit the country’s flood control projects amid allegations of corruption.

On the flip side, the group said it was hoping that the president would provide an update on the fate of Duterte’s impeachment trial.

Days before Marcos’ SONA, the Supreme Court ruled that the impeachment complaint against the vice president was unconstitutional, putting a stop to the impeachment trial in the Senate.

The MBC was one of the many prominent business groups that demanded the upper chamber to start the impeachment trial of Duterte, citing the need to uphold accountability to maintain investor confidence.

To recall, Duterte was impeached by the House of Representatives on the grounds of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, graft and corruption, and other high crimes.

Meanwhile, the MBC also lauded Marcos for saying that he will not accept an approved budget from Congress that is not aligned with the government’s proposal.

However, it noted that he fell short of mentioning transparency mechanisms for the bicameral process for next year’s national budget.

Earlier this year, the group raised the alarm on changes introduced by the bicameral conference committee (bicam) for the 2025 budget, which significantly reduced allocations for programmed healthcare, social services, and education projects.

To ensure greater transparency in the deliberations for next year’s budget, it called for the bicam discussions, which are done in a closed-door manner, to be made accessible to the public.

In the context of the economy, the MBC welcomed the announcement at the SONA that the administration has been tempering inflation, with the country “ready for investments.”

On the other hand, the group questioned the lack of discussion on the country’s fiscal status, such as tax collection and incentives, as well as efforts to improve the ease of doing business.

It also stressed that Marcos gave no attention to the concerns of local industries regarding the impact of the 19 percent tariff threatened against Philippine goods.

Marcos met with US President Donald Trump last month to negotiate on the tariffs. Marcos offered zero tariffs to American-made vehicles, soy, wheat, and pharmaceutical products to lower the country’s tariff rate from 20 percent.

The MBC said Marcos also brushed aside discussions on trade agreements that the country is working on.

For the agriculture sector, the group welcomed the measures introduced by the chief executive, such as the strengthened checks and balances for traders and increased production for agricultural commodities.

It nonetheless pointed out that Marcos made no mention of addressing “overreliance on rice importation” and a concrete strategy on the manipulation of prices by traders.

In transportation and infrastructure, the MBC stated that they support Marcos’ plan to revive the iconic Love Bus and the start of the construction of the Bataan-Cavite interlink bridge.

The MBC said they were hoping that the president would address measures to improve right-of-way acquisition, which has delayed big-ticket infrastructure projects such as the Metro Manila Subway Project.