Multimedia

The assassination of Shinzo Abe, Japan’s former Prime Minister, was a shock to all of us. His death was horrific not only because of its suddenness and the fact that it was caught on video but also because Abe was a dear friend to the Filipino nation. His government provided a lot of help to our country especially during his stint as Prime Minister from 2012 to 2020. In particular, I know that he has a special bond with former President Rodrigo Duterte whom he immediately befriended after the latter’s assumption to office in 2016. In fact, Japan was one of the first countries President Duterte visited when he assumed office, and Prime Minister Abe had likewise visited our country twice, also going to Davao City.

Every Filipino will certainly be awaiting what President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will say on July 25 when he delivers his first State of the Nation Address (SONA). The entire nation and the rest of the world will watch and hear that speech in which President Marcos, among other things, will unveil his six-year economic program.

On a gloomy day, noon of June 30, 2022, Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. became president of the Republic of the Philippines. In simple but refined ceremonies, Bongbong Marcos took his oath of office before Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, representatives of world leaders, government officials and the Filipino people. It caps a triumphant journey for Bongbong Marcos from a heartbreaking defeat in 2016, the unrelenting attacks on his family, to a historic and landslide victory in the May 2022 elections.