Total ban on POGOs, strong West Philippine Sea stance, and other highlights of Marcos' third SONA

Total ban on POGOs

Marcos, dropping a bombshell as he was about to wrap up his SONA, imposed a total ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) in the country.

"Effective today, all POGOs are banned. I hereby instruct PAGCOR (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation) to wind down and cease the operations of POGOs by the end of the year,” he said, much to the pleasure of the dozens of lawmakers and guests in attendance, including Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros.

He also asked the Department of Labor and Employment, "in coordination with our economic managers," to help Filipino POGO workers who will be displaced due to his order.

Marcos noted that POGOs are "disguising as legitimate entities," with their operations venturing into "elicit areas furthest from gaming, such as financial scamming, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping, brutal torture, even murder."

"Kailangan itigil na nito ang panggugulo sa ating lipunan at panglalapastangan sa ating bansa," he said.

The issue comes in light of the Senate's investigation into POGO-related crimes, which put the glare of publicity to suspended Bamban mayor Alice Guo. 

Raids conducted since 2023 have suggested that human trafficking, scams, torture, and prostitution, among others are taking place in some POGO facilities. Among the highly talked about raids are the ones in Hongsheng Gaming Technology Incorporated and Zun Yuan Technology Incorporated, to which Guo is allegedly being linked.

Guo and 13 others were slapped with a human trafficking complaint in June. She has shut down claims about her involvement in such issues.

West Philippine Sea

Marcos also minced no words in asserting the country's sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea amid escalating tensions with China in the disputed waters, prompting a standing ovation and cheers.

"Ang West Philippine Sea ay hindi kathang-isip natin lamang," he said. "Ito ay atin. Ito ay mananatiling atin hangga't nag-aalab ang diwa ng ating mahal na bansang Pilipinas."

Though he acknowledged that they "continuously try to find ways to de-escalate tension" and that there are "proper diplomatic channels," Marcos pointed out that the Philippines "cannot yield."

"The Philippines cannot waiver," he added.

He gave a shoutout to the country's armed forces, the Philippine Coast Guard, and Filipino fishermen for their efforts.

What's deemed as China's most violent action against the Philippines over the West Philippine Sea to date was last June, when Chinese Coast Guard vessels rammed a Philippine Navy boat during a resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre near Ayungin Shoal.

The Chinese severely injured a Philippine Navy personnel, intentionally damaged the boat, destroyed vital equipment, seized the Filipinos' firearms, and threatened them with knives, axes, and spears.

Infrastructure programs

Marcos also spent the time enumerating his administration's achievements in infrastructure.

He noted that as of May, about 12,000 kilometers of roads and 1,200 bridges were constructed and upgraded.

He said there was a budget for the upgrade of 367 bridges and 1,600 kilometers of road along Maharlika Highway "from Luzon all the way to Mindanao."

Signficant segments of major expressways, which are part of the Luzon Spine Expressway Network, have now been open to the public.

The C-LEX (Central Luzon Link Expressway), NLEX-SLEX (North Luzon Expressway-South Luzon Expressway) Connector, and the Plaridel Bypass will be fully completed by the end of 2024.

CALAX  (Cavite-Laguna Expressway) and C5 South Link, meanwhile, will become fully operational next year.

In terms of transportation, there are 76 new and modern trains at the Light Rail Transit Line 1, while the 100-kilometer Philippine National Railways' Bicol Line, stretching from Naga to Legazpi, was reopened.

Marcos said over 70 projects in airports and seaports were completed, while 350 more will be done by 2028.

The capacity of General Santos Airport and Bicol International Airport's passenger terminal buildings were increased to 300% and 500%, respectively. They're also getting upgrades alongside the Batangas Port.

The country's main gateway, Ninoy Aquino International Airport, is also undergoing a public-private partnership for its improvement.

As for internet services, Marcos noted the government's Free Internet Wi-Fi Program benefited over 10 million devices across 13,000 areas.

The first phase of the National Fiber Backbone (NFB) has also been completed, and the second and third phases are expected to be finished in 2026.

The project aims to increase internet connectivity service capacity across several areas of the country. Spanning 1,245 kilometers, it's composed of 28 nodes from Laoag, Ilocos Norte to Roces District, Quezon City.

“With the results that we have seen two years into this administration, we can claim that despite challenges, we are steadily progressing over our targets in the medium term,” Marcos said.

Education

With confidence, Marcos said no public school teacher will retire with the entry-level Teacher 1 rank, as he said the expanded career progression system will finally push through with allocated funds in place.

The President said it aims to “promote professional development and career advancement within their ranks.” There are two major career paths, whether it's teaching or school administration.

"Sa madaling sabi, kung talagang ninanais natin na maging matagumpay ang hinahangad nating pagbangon sa larangan ng edukasyon, sila, ang ating mga guro, ang dapat nating itaguyod at patatagin," he said.

The system was part of Executive Order No. 174 series of 2022 of the Duterte administration.

Marcos said public school teachers will also receive a yearly allowance in 2025 under the "Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo" Act, as well as a Personal Accident Insurance and Special Hardship Allowance.

He said the "Utang-Tagging," in which professionals with unpaid loans are prevented from renewing their licenses, was also removed for the benefit of teachers.

Marcos also noted how 87 of the country's higher educational institutions have made it to various world rankings. Fifty-one of these institutions are public universities or colleges.

There's also a higher enrollment in technical and vocational education and training (TVET), which Marcos noted was incorporated in the senior high school curriculum to "further boost the employability of our students."

He noted that eight out of 10 TVET graduates ultimately land decent jobs.

"TVET will definitely be instrumental in capacitating our people, and in maintaining our employment rate at consistently high levels," he said.

He also noted that information technology and creative sectors are "burgeoning industries knowing no territorial bounds," and there are plans to launch training courses on cybersecurity and creative industries. He also wants to explore robotics and artificial intelligence in classrooms.

"This is the call of our times. And we will answer to that call," he said.

Marcos also mentioned the country's foray into space technology, with its own satellites generating over 51,000 maps, images, and space-home data that aid agricultural development, urban planning, and environmental management, among others.

He said 16 Filipino space engineers are in the United Kingdom to work on the development of a Multi-Spectral Unit for Land Assessment or MULA satellite.

It's meant to be the country's largest earth observation satellite to be launched into space.

"May they inspire the next generation of Filipino students to follow in their footsteps and reach for the stars," he said.

'Bloodless war on drugs'

Marcos also highlighted his administration's "bloodless war on drugs," a stark contrast to his predecessor's flagship program.

"On the fight against dangerous drugs, our bloodless war on dangerous drugs adheres, and will continue to adhere, to the established '8 Es' of an effective anti-illegal drugs strategy," he said.

"Extermination was never one of them," he added, as lawmakers clapped and cheered.

The president gave numerical data concerning his anti-narcotics campaign, saying over 71,500 operations were conducted, P44 billion worth of illegal drugs seized, and 97,000 arrests—6,000 of which are high-value targets that included 440 government employees and 77 elected officials.

Marcos noted the drug conviction rate under his term was 79%, while reduction in drug-affected barangays was 32%.

The Duterte administration launched its flagship bloody war on drugs called Oplan Tokhang, which saw the execution of thousands of suspected drug peddlers, users, and small-time criminals.

Based on the government's "Real Numbers" data, a total of 6,229 individuals were killed during anti-drug operations from July 1, 2016, to Jan. 31, 2022.

Rights groups, however, estimated that the number of deaths from the bloody anti-narcotics campaign reached as high as 27,000.

Jobs and livelihood

Marcos also noted several achievements involving jobs and livelihood.

He noted the country's employment rate rose to 95.9%, and the underemployment rate of 11.7% in May 2023 was brought down to 9.9%, the lowest since 2005.

There have been more middle-skilled employment, wage and salaried employment, and full-time jobs.

Marcos also noted the increased minimum wage in the region, the additional medical allowance and bonuses of government workers, and the expanded services of job order and contract of service personnel.

As for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), Marcos noted over 420,000 families graduated last year. Some 4,000 graduates also became licensed teachers, 35 of whom served as topnotchers in the board exams.

Marcos also mentioned discounts and other forms of financial assistance for the benefit of persons with disabilities and senior citizens.

He noted that they're getting twice the discount for basic necessities and prime commodities.

"Our PWDs can rest assured of government’s effective implementation of beneficial policies and programs that will guarantee equitable opportunities, special interventions, and incentives for them," he said.

The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, meanwhile, will start giving benefits to children with disabilities next year, according to Marcos.

He also noted how the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act—which lowered income taxes for small, medium, and micro enterprises—led to a trillion pesos worth of investments and over 100,000 new jobs.

As for the price of rice, Marcos did away with his campaign promise of P20 per kilo, not mentioning it at all in his SONA.

Instead, he acknowledged how Filipinos are "confronted" by rice worth P45 to P65 a kilo.

"Mahal kong mga kababayan, alam kong damang-dama ninyo ito," he said. "Hindi natin winawalang-bahala ang inyong mga hinaing at hirap na dinaranas."

Marcos then noted the government's hand-out, including 100 million kilo of binhi, suwi, and pataba; 300,000 million mother hen to farmers; and 500 million fingerlings and 3,000 boats to fishermen.