Aside from a ban on illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators, lawmakers expect President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to discuss serious issues that are core to his base, including the West Philippine Sea, affordable rice, inflation, and wages, in his State of the Nation Address (SoNA) on Monday.

Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong said he is looking forward to Marcos laying down the progress and accomplishments under his watch on foreign policy, particularly the longstanding dispute with China in the West Philippine Sea.

“Remember, the President was successful in making this issue not just limited to China and the Philippines, but a top priority on the security and peace agenda in the Indo-Pacific Region,” Adiong told reporters in an interview.

“He was also able to engage with the United States of America and Japan which resulted in the signing of a trilateral agreement,” he said.

“This is the good thing that we want to hear from the President, on the progress that has been achieved since the agreement took place among these three nations,” he said.

ACT-CIS Partylist Rep. Erwin Tulfo, meanwhile, wants Marcos to lay down solutions to the high cost of commodities due to inflation and on the increase in pay of minimum wage workers.