Cebu officials happy with ‘short and direct’ Sona

CEBU officials lauded the third State of the Nation Address (Sona) of President Rodrigo Duterte for being “brief and concise” and also for the President’s call for local governments to do their share in protecting the environment.

Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III said that he was happy that during his Sona, Duterte highlighted the responsibility of local government units (LGUs) in preserving nature.

“I liked it, short and direct to the point, as I had expected. He minced no words when he said that the war on drugs will not be sidelined, will be unrelenting and chilling. But I was particularly happy when he urged LGUs to do their part in protecting the environment,” said Davide.

Cebu 4th District Provincial Board (PB) Member Horacio Franco IV, 7th District PB Member Christopher Baricuatro, Cebu City Vice Mayor Edgar Labella, and Cebu City Councilor Raymond Alvin Garcia also liked the President’s speech.

“The one that I liked was his initiative on protecting the environment and going after the mining companies that have total disregard for the environment and the people that live in the area,” Franco said.

Labella said he was impressed when the President called on LGUs to join hand-in-hand with the national government in protecting the environment.

“What was very impressive was his call for the local government to join hand-in-hand with the national government not only for development but also in protecting our environment,” said Labella who also heads the President’s PDP-Laban party in Cebu City.

Garcia said the inclusion of the shutdown of Boracay Island in the President’s Sona served as calls for the local government to be proactive in taking care of mother nature.

“He was saying for LGUs to closely monitor the environment like what happened to Boracay. And he’s also saying for the LGUs nga ‘ayaw mo pabiya nga musulod mi sa inyoha’ (don’t be negligent otherwise national government will have to interfere),” said Garcia.

Duterte, in his speech, called on LGUs to strictly enforce environmental laws before the national government would be forced to step in.

“I urge all the local government units to proactively impose laws and not wait for us to swoop down on your areas just to do your duty,” President Duterte said.

Business sector

Aside from mentioning the state of the country’s environment, the President also highlighted his administration’s decision to implement the Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law.

However, the business sector in Cebu wants the Duterte administration to educate them more about the TRAIN Law.

“Like what happened with TRAIN 1, there were so many revisions and changes. We didn’t know the final provisions until it was approved,” said Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) President Stanley Go noting that most businesses are not really aware of the specifics of the TRAIN law.

In his Sona, the President urged Congress to approve TRAIN 2 before the year ends as well as other incoming TRAIN packages.

The proposed TRAIN 2, which seeks to “rationalize and modernize” corporate incentives, is still being deliberated in Congress.

The Department of Finance (DOF) is also set to submit to Congress the proposed TRAIN 3 and 4, which will focus on a single valuation for real property and financial taxes respectively.

“When Duterte says he’s going to implement something, he really has a follow through and political will to execute,” Go said.

Go added that since local businesses have not been consulted about the additional TRAIN packages, he hoped that it will make efforts to help stakeholders understand the final version of the proposals.