SONA 2025 draft 80% complete
''I think we'll be all right. Because what we have already written is substantial… The SONA is about 80% written. So, kaunti na lang 'yung ano fine-tuning (It only needs minor fine-tuning),'' Marcos told reporters in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday.
Marcos said that due to his official visit to the United States, he lost four days of preparation for his SONA.
''So, we have to make it up. So, I cleared my schedule. We've been working very hard on it. As soon as I get back, we'll be working on it again,'' the President said.
''We will be back Wednesday evening. We'll start work on a Thursday. I'm sure we'll work on it over the weekend,'' he added.
Marcos said his fourth SONA would be different from his past speeches.
''You have to remember it's the State of the Nation Address. And the state of the nation today is different from what it was last year and the year before that,'' Marcos said.
''So, of course, necessarily it will be different. We will be talking about mainly the same things about the social projects of the government for people in need,'' he added.
Marcos said he would talk about programs that he initiated and hoped to continue after his term ends in 2028.
''We will talk about the programs…that we have initiated and will continue to promote and endorse… at the very least, until the end of this term. Hopefully, it will continue after my term. So, that's what we expect from the SONA,'' Marcos said.
The President's fourth SONA before a joint session of Congress is scheduled for Monday, July 28. —VBL, GMA Integrated News
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


GMA Network
21 minutes ago
- GMA Network
Marcos: Those behind bad water service will be held accountable
'Ginagawa na ng LWUA (Local Water Utilities Administration) ngayon ang mga mabisang hakbang laban sa palpak na serbisyo ng mga water districts at kanilang mga joint venture partners," President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said during his fourth SONA on July 28, 2025. President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. said Monday that water service providers and their joint venture partners liable for the water service interruptions in several parts of the country will be held accountable. Marcos made the firm stance during his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA), as he lamented that more than six million consumers are currently affected by the water service interruptions. 'Ginagawa na ng LWUA (Local Water Utilities Administration) ngayon ang mga mabisang hakbang laban sa palpak na serbisyo ng mga water districts at kanilang mga joint venture partners. Titiyakin ng LWUA na mailalagay na sa ayos ang serbisyo ng tubig ng milyon-milyon nating mga kababayan at gawing mas abot-kaya naman ang presyo,' the President said. (The LWUA is taking effective measures against the bad service of water districts and their joint venture partners. LWUA will ensure that the water service for millions of Filipinos will be fixed and the price will also be made more affordable.) 'Higit sa lahat, titiyakin nating mapapanagot ang mga nagpabaya at nagkulang sa mahalagang serbisyong-publiko na ito,' he said. (Above all, we will ensure that those who have neglected and lacked in providing this public service will be held accountable.) To recall, Marcos had ordered an investigation into the operations of PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp. due to numerous service-related complaints. According to Malacañang, the Marcos administration does not tolerate insufficiency of services, noting that the needs of the public must always be provided. PrimeWater Infrastructure Corp. is owned by the Villar family. For its part, the water service provider had vowed to be open to any meaningful dialogue that will resolve concerns as it also affirmed it is committed to cooperating with LWUA. LWUA had also submitted its report to the Office of the President as regards its investigation into the operations of water service provider PrimeWater. Earlier this month, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said that joint venture agreements (JVAs) between PrimeWater and other local water districts increased in 2019 when the LWUA was still an attached agency of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Castro had emphasized that the DPWH during that time was led by then-secretary and incumbent Senator Mark Villar. Villar, in return, denied that he had any participation in joint venture agreements entered into by PrimeWater and other local water districts facilitated through the LWUA. "I wish to take this opportunity to clarify that I have no direct or indirect ownership or controlling interest in Primewater," Villar said in a statement. — RF, GMA Integrated News


GMA Network
21 minutes ago
- GMA Network
Marcos vows overtime pay for teachers, pushes digital learning upgrades
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Monday promised long-awaited reforms for public school teachers, including compensation for overtime work and teaching overload, while ramping up efforts to digitalize education nationwide. In his fourth State of the Nation Address, Marcos acknowledged the daily burdens faced by teachers, pledging stronger institutional support to ensure their well-being and effectiveness in the classroom. 'At ngayong school year na ito, makakatanggap na kayo ng kabayaran para sa inyong teaching overload at para sa inyong overtime,' he said. (This school year, you will start receiving compensation for your teaching overload and overtime.) The announcement comes after years of appeals from education stakeholders for fairer compensation. Teachers' groups have long called out unpaid extra hours due to paperwork, lesson planning, and administrative tasks. To ease the workload, Marcos said his administration had already removed nearly 100 non-teaching documents previously required from teachers. The rest, he noted, would soon be digitalized—streamlining processes to allow teachers to focus more on instruction. 'Gagawin na din nating digital ang mga natitira pang papel na kailangan ninyong asikasuhin. Para puwede na ninyo itong gawin online—diretso na mula sa inyong mga bagong laptop!' (We will digitize the remaining documents you need to process—so you can do them online, straight from your new laptops!) As part of the broader digital push, Marcos announced that laptops for public school teachers are being distributed, assuring the public there were no irregularities in procurement. 'Ngayo'y nagdaratingan na ang mga laptop na laan para sa bawat guro sa public school. Tiniyak natin na walang anomalya sa pagbili ng mga laptops na ito,' he said. (Laptops intended for every public school teacher have started arriving. We made sure that there were no anomalies in the purchase of these laptops.) Supporting this digital shift are additional learning technologies such as smart TVs, free Wi-Fi in last-mile schools, and SIM cards with data load under the 'Bayanihan SIM' initiative. 'Nakahanda na ang mga high-tech at digital na mga materyales, mga smart TVs, libreng Wi-Fi, at libreng load sa Bayanihan SIM card,' the President said. (High-tech and digital materials, smart TVs, free Wi-Fi, and free load through the Bayanihan SIM card are now ready.) These resources aim to equip both learners and educators with tools that match modern-day demands—especially critical as the country continues to recover from pandemic-era learning disruptions. Marcos emphasized that educational recovery remains at the core of his administration's priorities. Programs like the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) initiative, early childhood care development, and expanded remedial and tutoring sessions were cited as key efforts. Still, he pointed out that the nation continues to face serious challenges in learning outcomes, particularly in reading, math, and science. To address this, the President stressed the need for both systemic interventions and teacher empowerment. Marcos also reiterated the need for outcome-based performance metrics, moving away from a mere headcount of passed students. 'Asahan po ninyo na hindi gagawing sukatan ng galing o ng performance ninyo ang dami lamang ng estudyanteng inyong pinapasa. Kundi, ang dami ng mag-aaral na inyong pinapahusay at pinapataas ang ambisyon sa buhay,' he told teachers. (Rest assured, your performance will no longer be judged merely by the number of students you pass, but by how many you empower and inspire to aim higher in life.) In line with addressing the education workforce shortage, Marcos said the government had added 60,000 new teaching positions, giving jobs to thousands of licensed educators. He also reiterated support for expanding classroom infrastructure, with 40,000 new classrooms targeted before the end of his term. Marcos concluded the education segment of his address by calling on Congress for continued budgetary support, emphasizing that investment in education is investment in the nation's future. 'Kung tayo ay nagpupundar ng malaki para sa imprastraktura, mas malaki pa ang pinupundar natin para sa ating mamamayan,' he declared. (If we are investing heavily in infrastructure, we are investing even more in our people.) —AOL, GMA Integrated News
_2025_07_28_17_12_46.jpg&w=3840&q=100)

GMA Network
21 minutes ago
- GMA Network
Construction of Bataan-Cavite bridge to start before 2025 ends —Marcos
The multi-billion dollar bridge project connecting the provinces of Cavite and Bataan will begin construction before the end of 2025, President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. said Monday. The Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge project, envisioned to be one of the world's longest maritime bridges, is set to be bankrolled through a multi-tranche financing scheme, under which $2.1 billion will be financed by the Asian Development Bank, while $1.14 billion will be co-financed by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. 'Bago matapos ang taon, magsisimula na ang Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge. Ang tulay na ito ay tatlumpu't dalawang kilometro ang haba, at tatawid ng Manila Bay,' Marcos said in his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City. (Before the year ends, the construction of the Bataan-Cavite Interlink Bridge will begin. This 32-kilometer-long bridge will stretch across the Manila Bay.) 'Kung ang biyahe ngayon mula Mariveles hanggang Naic ay umaabot nang limang oras, balang araw ito ay magiging apatnapu't limang minuto na lamang,' the President said. (If the current travel time from Mariveles to Naic is five hours long, it will be shortened to just 45 minutes.) Spanning a distance of 32.15 kilometers, the project is poised to provide a strategic convergence between Regions III and IV-A, fostering greater economic growth and improved tourism. The project will be divided into seven contract packages, with the construction to begin first in the two on-land packages. Package 1 is the 5-kilometer Bataan Land Approach, and Package 2 is the 1.35-kilometer Cavite Land Approach. Packages 3 and 4 are marine viaducts in the north and south with a total length of 20.65 kilometers. Packages 5 and 6 are the North Channel and South Channel Bridges with lengths of 2.15 and 3.15 kilometers, respectively. The seventh package involves project-wide ancillary works. The 32.15-kilometer, four-lane inter-island bridge will connect Barangay Alas-asin in Mariveles, Bataan, and Barangay Timalan Concepcion in Naic, Cavite. The bridge will have two navigational bridges, the 400-meter North Channel Bridge and the 900-meter South Channel Bridge, that are expected to traverse Corregidor Island. About 80% of the structure will be over the sea. —VBL, GMA Integrated News