MANILA, Philippines - Not one sector should be left out by President Benigno Aquino III's first state of the nation address (SONA) on Monday.

Leaders of Social Watch Philippines (SWP) said on Sunday they expect Aquino to spell out his administration's poverty eradication programs.

"Our bottomline is those at the bottom. These are millions of absolutely poor and absolutely hungry Filipinos who will be left behind even if we achieve the development targets as embodied in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),” said former national treasurer Leonor Magtolis Briones, SWP lead convenor.

MDGs refer to the set of time-bound and quantified targets for addressing extreme poverty by 2015. This includes addressing income poverty, hunger, disease and exclusion while promoting gender equality, education, and environmental sustainability. Aquino's regime will have to ensure that the country achieves the MDGs within the next 5 years up to the 2015 deadline.

Isagani Serrano, president of the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement said the magnitude of poor Filipinos is staggering.

"There would still be millions of hungry people here even if we achieve the target of halving the proportion of hungry people by 2015. Ending poverty of half of the 27.6 million poor Filipinos will still leave us with millions who are still hungry and neglected,” said Serrano.

The most vulnerable said Briones, are indigenous peoples, women, small farmers and fishers, most of who are living in Mindanao.

The former Treasury chief said that while the administration is keen on implementing austerity measures, these should not be at the expense of vital social services such as health, education, and agriculture.

“P-Noy (Aquino), in his SONA, should promise not to sacrifice social development for deficit reduction. There are still untapped resources of revenue such as the perks, exemptions and benefits granted by Congress to the private sector and income of government-owned and controlled corporations."

 "All that is needed is P-Noy’s political will and commitment," said Briones.

On the other hand, organized tribal groups are hoping Aquino's government will this time, include indigenous peoples'(IPs) communities in big social development projects.

“We hope that P-Noy would talk of genuine empowerment for IPs in his first SONA. We IPs have always felt that we are invisible to the eyes of the national government -- often not consulted and sidelined in matters of setting priorities and governance,” Lasconia Enoch, chairman of the Mamata, Malumdeni, Makilala Tribal Association, based in North Cotabato

Meanwhile, Mario Limocon, director-general of the local nongovernment organization Process-Bohol, said he expects Aquino's SONA to promise rice self-sufficiency; more subsidies for small fishers as well as more laws to protect small fishers from commercial fishers; and support for and national recognition of the important roles of women’s groups at the community level.