Lacson bares what he expects to hear from Duterte's final SONA

Senator Panfilo Lacson on Sunday bared his expectations from President Rodrigo Duterte's final State of the Nation Address next month.

In a statement, Lacson said among the things he wants Duterte to address in his SONA are the status of the government's vaccination program, and its fight against corruption. The senator also wants to know what can be done in Duterte's last year.

"After five years, where are we now, or what is the situation in the many aspects of his administration such as peace and order, fight against illegal drugs, corruption, economy, and foreign policy, particularly the West Philippine Sea? We want to hear what happened in the last five years -- and moving forward for the last year of his administration, what can still be done?" Lacson said.

"But it is critical to update us on the government's response to the pandemic. This includes the status of the government's vaccination program. This is important because many Filipinos still do not trust the vaccine. In the meantime, the government must continue its campaign to gain the people's trust in vaccines, based on science," he added.

Lacson also backed Senate President Vicente Sotto III's call to put more emphasis on prevention and rehabilitation in the government's fight against illegal drugs.

Lacson said former president and Manila mayor Joseph Estrada had arranged with the Los Angeles-based Drug Abuse Resistance Education International to train police to inform students of the ill effects of illegal drugs.

He also said the government may also need to consider digitalizing the economy and automatic government process to ease transactions and minimize corruption.

"To recap, what we need to hear from the President is what has been done in the last five years. Are we better off than when he stepped in as President on June 30, 2016?" Lacson added. —Ma. Angelica Garcia/LBG, GMA News