'Bloodless' drug war, record-high palay harvest, other pronouncements in Marcos' third SONA

Is Marcos’ war against drugs “bloodless”? 

Marcos took a swipe at his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, who’s known for his bloody war on drugs which is being investigated by the International Criminal Court.

In his speech, the current president said his fight is “bloodless” and adheres to establishing “8 Es” of an effective anti-illegal drugs strategy. 

“Extermination was never one of them,” he said. 

However, Marcos’ fight against illegal drugs is not without casualties. Dahas Project, an initiative by the University of the Philippines, recorded 701 reported drug-related killings from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2024. State agents were reportedly responsible for 34.3% of killings during the president’s second year. 

The Duterte administration logged 6,229 killings of drug personalities by March 2022. 

Claim on West Philippine Sea

Marcos ended his speech on a high note by strongly asserting that the contested West Philippine Sea belongs to the country. 

“Ang West Philippine Sea ay hindi kathang-isip natin lamang. Ito ay atin. At ito ay mananatiling atin, hangga’t nag-aalab ang diwa ng ating minamahal na bansang Pilipinas,” he said. 

Marcos addressed the issue in less than five minutes during his hour-long speech.

The territorial dispute surrounding the maritime areas on the western side of the Philippine archipelago continues to persist to this day, but the 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague had already invalidated Beijing's nine-dash line claim that covers nearly the entire South China Sea. 

The most recent incident happened on June 17, wherein China Coast Guard boats rammed a Philippine government supply ship, wielded weapons, and took disassembled rifles from Filipino soldiers involved in the rotation and resupply mission. The confrontation even led to one Filipino soldier getting his thumb cut off after it got caught between the boats. 

While Marcos made no mention of the incident in his speech, he previously visited the soldiers a week after the confrontation to express his admiration for “exercising the greatest restraint amid intense provocation.” He also insisted on his desire to settle the dispute “peacefully.” 

Has the free Wi-Fi program reached more Filipinos?

One of the achievements that Marcos highlighted in his address is how the Philippines’ free Wi-Fi program has now reached 10 million unique user devices. 

“Nasasagap ito sa marami nating mga paaralan at malalayo at liblib na pook. Patuloy pa ang ating pinaparami na mga libreng wifi sa buong bansa,” he said. 

He also underscored his promise to boost internet connectivity in far-flung areas without access by rolling out more common towers. 

Data site DataReportal stated that the Philippines had 86.98 million internet users and 86.75 million social media users at the start of 2024. 

The chief executive, however, did not comment on the country’s need for faster and cheaper internet, as urged by the World Bank in January earlier this year. 

According to their report dubbed “Better Internet for All Filipinos: Reforms Promoting Competition and Increasing Investment for Broadband Infrastructure,” the Philippines’ internet connectivity is the most expensive in Southeast Asia, but still can’t keep up with the speed of that of Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Brunei. 

“The country’s poor broadband infrastructure is rooted in outdated policy frameworks that stifle investment in rural areas and foster a market with weak competition, both of which hinder broadband expansion,” the World Bank said. 

Were OFWs safe from war-stricken countries? 

Several parts of the world were stuck by severe conflict in the past year, but Marcos Jr. assured that the overseas Filipino workers in countries such as Israel, Gaza, Sudan, Lebanon, and Yemen were safely brought back to the Philippines.  

While the government had repatriated many of the distressed Filipinos from the war, some were still tragically affected by the conflicts. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs reported that four workers were among the fatalities in the attacks in Israel by Hamas militants in October last year. Two Filipino seafarers were also killed during an attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on ships cruising the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. 

At least 59 Filipinos in Lebanon were also put at risk after they were not allowed to return to the Philippines due to their current contractual obligations, despite having signed up for the government’s voluntary mass repatriation. 

Poverty and employment rate 

Stating data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, Marcos said that the poverty rate has “significantly dropped” to 15.5% from 18% in 2021, a figure lower than the pre-pandemic level of 16.7% in 2019. 

While the poverty rate has decreased in 2023, about 58% of Filipino families (16 million) still rated themselves poor in a Social Weather Station June 2024 survey. This rating was 12 points above the 46% score in March 2024. 

Furthermore, PSA reported that 17.54 million Filipinos were still classified as poor in 2023. 740,000 families have also said their incomes were not enough to meet basic food needs. 

Another achievement highlighted by Marcos is an increase in employment rate to 95.9%. The same PSA data also states that about 2.11 million Filipinos were unemployed in May 2024, lower than the number of jobless Pinoys in May 2023 (2.17 million). 

Did the Philippines produce more rice? 

“Nasaksihan natin ang pinakamataas na ani ng palay sa bansa nitong makalipas na taon,” Marcos said, adding that about 20 million metric tons were produced in 2023—the countries highest since 1987 and despite the effects of El Niño. "Gayumpaman, ang ani na ito ay katumbas lamang ng 13 million toneladang bigas."

The president also acknowledged the rising price of rice and how the supply in the country isn't enough.

Rice inflation hit 22.5% in June with one kilo averaging P51 during the first phase of July 2024.

The Philippines was also one of the world's top importers of rice in 2023, importing 3.8 million metric tons this year, according to a USDA report.