LP praises PBBM’s policy statements

The opposition Liberal Party (LP) has commended President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. for his “well-delivered” State of the Nation Address (SoNA) on Monday but pointed out that some crucial points were overlooked.

LP president, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, said he agreed with certain key points made by the President but criticized his failure to sufficiently emphasize their implementation.

“The well-delivered State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. would evoke concurrence on some major policy statements like the unequivocal upholding of Philippine sovereign rights over the resource-rich West Philippine Sea, albeit a repetition of previous declarations; review and amendment of the EPIRA (Electric Power Industry Reform Act); and the total ban on all POGO operations by the end of 2024,” Lagman said.

However, he pointed out, “What was lacking were the important details in the implementation of those policies.”

“Our agreement on some vital points in the SoNA does not mean that a counter-SoNA is not necessary with respect to dissenting views based on established facts and validated data on the Philippine economy, poverty, agriculture and food security, education, employment, sustainable human development, and human rights — all of which will be discussed in the genuine opposition’s counter-SoNA,” Lagman said.

Lagman is expected to deliver the counter-SoNA this week.

Meanwhile, LP stalwart, former senator Leila de Lima, congratulated Marcos for ending his third SoNA with a resounding bang on the total ban on POGO operations by yearend.

“But it’s lamentable that there was no mention of the ICC (International Criminal Court) and the need for justice for thousands of EJK (extrajudicial killing) victims,” she said.

De Lima was referring to Marcos’s predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte’s, bloody anti-drug campaign.

Marcos had earlier maintained his position to block the ICC’s investigation into the past administration’s war on drugs, saying that the justice system in the Philippines is “working properly.”