SONA 2024 - The Highlights and Issues President Marcos Discussed

These are the salient points in SONA 2024 that President Bongbong Marcos discussed.

SONA 2024 – President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. discussed these topics and issues in his 3rd State of Nation Address (SONA).

The third State of Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. took place on Monday, July 22, at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City. His speech at 4:06 p.m. and lasted for almost an hour and a half.

According to a survey, some of the major concerns of the Filipinos are inflation, improving the economy, and livelihood generation and Marcos was expected to discuss in SONA topics about the inflation, the rising tension in the West Philippine Sea, and the illegal operations of POGO issues.

Here are some of the salient points from this year’s SONA:

In the agriculture sector, he mentioned using the appropriate vaccine for the pigs to prevent Swine Flu, making Kadiwa Centera permanent with products at affordable prices, distribution of 9,300 machineries to the farmers this year, and to support water system and irrigation dams projects to ensure water security.

In the health sector, he shared that there will be an additional medical benefits for the people, especially for br*ast cancer, doubling the PhilHealth benefits, adding over 50 generic medicines, and DOH Mental Health Plan and PhilHealth mental package.

For tourism, there will be an introduction of PH e-visa and programs for experiential tourism.

In the educational sector, the school-based feeding programs will continue along with “Walang Gutom 2027”, upskill the teachers, especially in the IT and creative sectors, and scholarship grants for research and development.

Climate change and disaster preparedness were discussed in the environmental sector.

For the power sector, the president expressed something about cybersecurity plans, solution for power outages, measures to improve and broaden wifi connection in the country, and the Cebu-Negros-Panay Backbone Project.

In the infrastructure sector, the president discussed improvement in expressways and railways systems and to build more better programs.

For the OFWs, he tackled the OFW Lounge in NAIA and the Seafarer’s Hub in Manila, and the crisis response to Filipinos who returned from Taiwan and New Zealand.