Marcos should mention agri-smuggling efforts, job creation in next SONA –Legarda

Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda expects President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to mention job creation, pandemic recovery plans, and agricultural smuggling efforts in his State of the Nation Address (SONA).

“I’d like to hear first how we can speed up job creation so that the economy will be more robust. I’d like to hear how we can we curb, if not totally eliminate, agricultural smuggling [and] break down cartels. I’d like to see a roadmap for sustainable pandemic recovery, not just in the health sector but in food security, in energy security, in job creation and livelihood creation,” Legarda said in an interview with reporters.

“I’d like to see us continuously engaging in the global and world stage and the President clearly did that in his 12 months,” she added.

Legarda is expecting Marcos to declare plans on how teachers, nurses, and workers who bring food to Filipino people’s tables can be best served.

She also raised the need for measures that will bring hope to the Filipino youth.

Legarda lamented that while there are laws for these concerns, the implementing agencies were unable to strictly implement them.

“We have the laws to all of these if we think about it and I like to see our laws work," she said.

Legarda recounted that she once frustratedly said on the Senate floor that sometimes these laws were treated like mere suggestions.

“So I also challenge the implementers of our laws na take it to heart, aralin niyo, istriktuhan natin ang pagpatupad ng batas sa anomang sector,” she added.

(So I also challenge the implementers of our laws to take it to heart, study them, let us strictly enforce the law no matter the sector.)

Marcos is set to deliver his second SONA on July 24. — DVM, GMA Integrated News