MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivered his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 22, a little less than a year before the mid-term elections. As highlight of his speech, President Marcos announced that all Philippine offshore gaming operators will be banned, saying “this will solve a lot of problems.
” He ordered the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation to “wind down the operations” of existing POGOs by the end of 2024. (Delivered at the Session Hall of the House of Representatives, Batasang Pambansa Complex, Quezon City, on July 22, 2024.) Introduction The hard lesson of this last year has made it very clear that whatever current data proudly bannering our country as among the best-performing in Asia, means nothing to a Filipino, who is confronted by the price of rice at 45 to 65 pesos per kilo.
Bagamat maganda ang mga istatistikang ito, wala itong kabuluhan sa ating kababayan na hinaharap ang realidad na mataas ang presyo ng mga bilihin, lalo na ng pagkain — lalo’t higit, ng bigas. Totoo, puwersa ng merkado — sa ating bansa at maging sa buong daigdig — ang siyang nagdidikta ng presyo. Bunsod ito, halimbawa, ng giyera, problema sa supply, at puwersa ng kalikasan, tulad ng El Niño na naranasan din sa ibang bansa.
Subalit hindi na ito mahalagang alala-hanin ng ating mga kababayang nabibigatan sa presyo ng bigas. Food and water security Mahal kong mga kababayan, alam kong damang-dama ninyo ito. Hindi natin win.