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MANILA, July 26 (Xinhuanet) -- Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is
due to deliver at 16:00 p.m. (local time) Monday her annual State of the Nation
Address (SONA) to the Congress, under tight security around the Batasang
Pambansa complex, where the Philippine Congress is located.
Police and government troops have been put on full alert, as some 20,000
anti-government protesters are marching toward the Batasang Pambansa complex,
where the 13th Congress of the Philippines opened Monday morning.
Metro Manila police commander Director Ricardo de Leon said 6,000 anti-riot policemen
and 3,000 combat troops are fielded on the Commonwealth Avenue, several
meters away from the gates of the Batasan, where a permit has been granted to
protesters to demonstrate there.
The anti-government demonstrators include students, out-of-school youth,
professionals, workers, farmers and religious workers.
Arroyo will present her five reform packages meant to push growth and equity
in the next six years as she delivers her fourth SONA to the joint session
of congress.
She will lay down before the congress leaders five packages of executive
and legislative proposals she intends to pursue for the next six years.
This year's SONA theme is: "A New Direction: Putting People First in an Era
of Change and National Renewal". It is focused on the measures the government
will take to eradicate poverty by halfin six years. It will cover job creation,
economic growth and anti-corruption measures, good governance, social justice
and basic needs, education improvement and youth opportunity, and eneergy
independence and savings.
A a recent poll showed that more Filipinos said they are pessimistic about
their future.
In her 40-minute speech, Arroyo will also highlight the government's
efforts to head off a financial crisis, according to local media reports.
She will also propose eight new tax measures and one
executive order to save about 3 billion US dollars for the government in
expenditure and incomes. Enditem | 
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