Pinoys expect to hear future plans in Duterte's upcoming SONA

DAVAO CITY - Filipinos are expecting President Rodrigo Duterte to offer his blueprint for the country's future in his second State of the Nation Address on Monday.

A year into Duterte's first term in office, many Filipinos expressed their satisfaction with his administration, saying the country had benefited from the president's independent foreign policy.

"For me, President Duterte has been a good president so far. He has some rules which is good to this country, for example, the drug issues and the war. I think it's good. It makes us feel safe," said Umandam, a local resident in Davao City.

People are expecting Duterte to respond to their main concerns in the state of the nation address, which is predicted to be a one-hour impromptu speech.

The Philippines is facing a severe security situation as the southern city of Marawi on the island of Mindanao is in the depths of a war against militants allied with the Islamic State (IS).

The country's current security situation amid fighting against terrorists and insurgents is of top concern for Filipinos.

"For me, still the security, because that affects all, investors and economy. As long as there is good security, our city will continue to grow," said Pil, a local resident in Davao.

Education is another issue of concern and people are expecting to hear more details about it in the president's address.

"I want to hear what is going to be his plan for the coming years, especially about education. As a Philippine, I believe that education is very important for everyone. So I hope that he is going to put that as one of his very important details on his [agenda]," said Francisco, a tourist to Davao from Manila .

Majul Gandamra, the mayor of the war-torn Marawi City, received an exclusive interview with China Central Television (CCTV) on July 19 in neighboring Iligan City. He said he expected the president could pledge to end the crisis and rebuild the city as soon as possible in the upcoming state of the nation address.

"Personally, I would like to hear from the president, saying that this problem will soon be over and that the commitment, the pledge to build the Marawi City, is underway, that we will realize that we will help one another fight this growing ideology of terrorism and extremism," said the mayor.

Duterte declared martial rule in Mindanao after Maute terrorists linked with the Islamic State launched an assault on Marawi on May 23. The continuous conflict since occupation by the militants has forced at least 460,000 people to flee from their homes. — Reuters