As President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. prepares for his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 22, 2024, a progressive group in Bicol is calling for direct engagement with local communities.
They argue that this approach is crucial for the administration to understand and address the needs of the Filipino people fully.
“Kailangan nilang bumaba sa ground — para makita ang totoong kalagayan [ng bansa] kasi maraming pangako na ginagawa. Maraming pinapatupad na programa ang gobyerno na pinopondohan ng bilyun-bilyong piso na hindi naman siya akma doon sa totoong hinihingi ng ating mga kababayan,” Nelsie Rodriguez, Chairperson of Bayan Camarines Sur, said.
The group is urging the administration to better understand the current state of the nation and assess whether their promises have been fulfilled.
The group also criticized the administration’s “New Philippines” branding, arguing it fails to address current problems.
They cited a study by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), which revealed that the average monthly wage in the region is P8,591, far below the poverty threshold of P12,731.
“Alam naman po natin na yung P360 hanggang P395… although sinasabi nga natin kung hindi tayo nagkakamali last year o kaya early this year nagdagdag ng P30 sa ating mga minimum wage earners. Pero sinasabi nga natin na ang PSA mismo ang nagsasabi po na P1,070 ang kailangan ng buong pamilya, na may limang myembro, para makakain ka sa isang araw,” Jen Nagrampa, Chairperson of Bayan Bicol, said.
This year marks the start of a review of the national minimum wage rate, as directed by Marcos. The group insists that the administration needs to implement a comprehensive agricultural program.
In response to the upcoming SONA, the group is preparing for a protest.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) is on high alert for that day.
“So wala naman pong problema yun sa amin as long as walang na vi-violate na karapatan din ng ibang tao,” PLTCOL Chester Pomar, Public Information Officer (PIO) of the Naga City Police Office (NCPO) NCPO, said.
