Security officials are not leaving any stones unturned in their task of securing the joint session of Congress to be held at the Batasang Pambansa complex on July 22, where President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will deliver his 3rd State of the Nation Address (SONA).
The SONA is a constitutionally mandated event that should happen every fourth Monday of July, during which the President reports to the nation and the whole government about the accomplishments of the last 12 months, and the legislative agenda and other plans for the coming fiscal year, aside from the contents of the National Expenditure Plan (NEP) from which the national budget for the succeeding year will emanate.
Over 22,000 police personnel will be deployed to secure the third State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Marcos on July 22, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) has announced.
“When it comes to our deployment plan, we will assign up to 22,621 police personnel at various border control points, including around Batasang Pambansa,” NCRPO chief and Task Force SONA commander Maj. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said. The deployment figure includes 17,971 personnel from the NCRPO, 1,879 from various police units and 2,771 from other government agencies.
At least 6,000 officers of the Quezon City Police District will help secure the SONA, QCPD director Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan said. He said the security contingent would include plainclothes police officers to monitor people who might take advantage of the SONA to create disorder and even chaos.
As expected, the leftist movement influenced by the Communist Party of the Philippines will again make their presence felt at the SONA, organizing and launching mass protests and demonstrations that will culminate in Commonwealth Ave. on the day of the speech itself.
The SONA rallies this year are expected to have more participants, mainly because days before that the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) in Metro Manila granted a measly increase of P35 in the daily minimum wage rate of private sector workers. The amount was seen as contemptibly small by the labor sector—and thus it has provided a convenient battle cry for the workers and union leaders joining the SONA protests.
The decision will lead to wage adjustments from P610 to P645 for the non-agriculture sector and from P573 to P608 for the agriculture sector, service and retail establishments employing 15 or fewer workers and manufacturing establishments regularly employing fewer than 10 workers.
To neutralize the protest and assuage the hurt, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said anybody who disagrees with the decision can appeal, after which the ruling becomes final and executory. The appeal can be filed within 10 days from publication of the wage order, or until July 11. The new wage order will be implemented starting on July 17, which is five days before the SONA.
There is no news yet but the workers are hoping that President Marcos would countermand the wage board by signing the Senate-approved bill that mandates a legislated wage increase of P100 across the board for all private sector workers.
And he can do this in the SONA. If done, it would be a welcome surprise for the labor sector and may douse cold water to the protests outside the Batasan complex. Incidentally, the senators led by Senate President Francis Escudero are backing this wage increase through legislation.
Aside from security and wages, the national leadership will have to tackle several proposed legislations right after July 22, the reopening of Congress.
Seven bills introduced by the economic team have been included in the top priority list. These are:
Amendments to the Right-of-Way Act to expedite the implementation of critical infrastructure projects by streamlining the right-of-way acquisition;Excise Tax on Single-Use Plastics to encourage sustainable consumption and production, and reduce plastic waste generation;
Rationalization of the Mining Fiscal Regime to enable the nation to better reap the benefits of the Philippines’ rich mineral resources by introducing a straightforward and streamlined fiscal policy.
Amendments to the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) to accelerate national efforts toward a more energy-secure country.
CREATE MORE Act to improve the current regulations by enhancing the tax and administrative incentives available to companies and clarifying rules on implementing VAT incentives.
The Department of Water Resources to institutionalize a primary agency responsible for comprehensive and integrated water resources development and management; and*VAT on Digital Services to ensure an equal playing field between local and foreign digital service providers while expanding the VAT base.
The Amendments to the Foreign Investors’ Long Term Lease Act, as introduced by Escudero, was also included in the top priority list.
The bill seeks to reinforce the opening of the economy to foreign investments by extending the lease of private lands (excluding agricultural lands) to foreigners from a maximum of 75 years to 99 years.
If this proposal becomes a law, there will be no need for a Charter Change to accommodate a more liberal commercial use of local lands by foreigners.
The Council also included in the top priority list the proposal of House Speaker Martin Romualdez on the reforms in the Philippine Capital Markets.
The Palace and Congress have a lot of work ahead of them and legislators should be reminded that time for legislative work is too important to be diverted to various ego-boosting investigations.
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