MANILA, July 28 (PNA) -- The message conveyed in the eighth state of the nation address (SONA) of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo showed that because of her "tough decisions," the government has "softened" the worst effect of the global crisis on the Philippines.

In her speech, the President said "we are on a roller coaster ride of oil price hikes, high food prices and looming economic recession in the US and other markets. Uncertainty has moved like a terrible tsunami around the globe, wiping away gains, and erasing progress."

To address these global challenges, she said the country must "go on building and buttressing bridges to allies around the world -- to bring in the rice to feed our people, investments to create jobs, and to keep the peace and maintain stability in our country and the rest of the world."