There are two ways to objectively critique the President’s SONA: 1) politics is more about the future than the past , or should be and 2) the country is much better than when the President first came to office.
In sum, the SONA is the good news. Guess who’s the savior?
It’s no wonder it took President Bongbong Marcos a longer time to wrap up his narrative compared to the previous ones. There’s joy in politics. Considering the cult-like response from the members of the choir in audience, the SONA is a time for celebration, indeed.
First off, rice should no longer be problem. More lands are being developed to plant more rice. Forget about the climate change. Government Is prepared to cope with it. As for the price, which early on was hoped to be pegged at P20 per kilo, based on a nostalgic view of the past, mostly in the time of a dictator, don’t worry ,there will be more Kadiwa stores to cater to the poor.
The economy Is doing well, if only the Middle East didn’t control petroleum and Russia stopped its murderous rampage in Ukraine, inflation would be more manageable. But wait, the Philippines is primed to be one of Asia’s, economic standout, notwithstanding.
There’s never been a rosier picture of the employment area. The latest is a 95 percent achievement. Only the employment rate during Moses time in Egypt was higher. Of course, Egypt had a full employment report then . Meaning, all the slaves had work to do, including the building of the pyramids. Unfortunately, Moses led the slaves in an exodus and Egypt was never the same again.
There’s good news for the equivalent of slaves: teachers. No one, according to PBBM, should retire as Teacher 1. Whose idea it was , nobody knows because the Vice President had quit as the education chief. Will teachers now stop selling tocinos while their students are in recess? That’s one big step toward improving the performance of Pinoy students in world contests for math excellence and creative thinking.
It’s good to know that current administration has changed the previous strategy in fighting the drug menace. It will no longer be extermination, as in exterminating rats. In the meantime, PBBM was quiet about prosecuting those behind the death of 6,000 people, by official count, or 30,000 by unofficial tally. It must be the result of political leverage. PBMM doesn’t say so.
The prospect of three Dutertes, the former president ,and the two sons joining the Senate fray in 2025 may not be scary but it’s worth the worry. The sister-vice preside nt who made herself scarce during the third SONA is food for thought for a politi cian worth his salt. Guess who’s afraid of the ICC.
Pragmatically, they are potential problem on the radar. The popular,if not notorious preacher APOLLO Quiboloy has been a real challenge against the police efficiency, if not loyalty, notwithstanding the huge intelligence budget. Guess who’s believed to be hiding the preacher in plain sight.
There’s never been time when government has shown to be weak against those who defy the law, especially those summoned by the Senate in hearings in aid of legislation. Maybe because China is just a stone’s throw away as its ships continue to sail nearer the Philippine shore even in broad day light ,as if testing PBBM’s resolve that not an inch will be taken away from the Philippine territory while he is the preside nt.
PBMM is a congenital optimist, his SONA says so. He still believes in the power of diplomacy in dealing with tension in the West Philippine Sea, even in the face obvious bad faith many times over from the other side. A new bilateral mechanism Has been forged by China and the Philippines in this direction. Justice Antonio Carpio doesn’t buy it. Or tell it to the Marines.
PBMM’s optimist doesn’t exist in a vacuum. His SONA didn’t touch the source of his confidence. The United States has repeatedly stressed it will watch his back if push comes to shove where the mutual defense treaty is invoked. So there. In the meantime, the president’s sister-senator Imee Marcos has unwittingly revealed his brother’s secret. China is wary of the US’ bigger presence in the country she feared Chinese missiles are aimed at different sites of the archipelago. Even a paranoid, they say, has a real or imagined enemy.
One man’s confidence is another woman’s insecurity.
After all has been said during the SONA, vision and vulnerabilities and all, PBBM should now consider how his next SONA will be more interesting. Details , or much of them, must be trimmed. This should help reduce the length of the piece. A good speaker knows when to stop. He, the president, not the speechwriter(s) should be decisive.
Henceforth, no part of the speech should be boring. The SONA should inspire, not urge members of the audience to look for the next exit instead of remembering what the SONA said. The SONA should not end like a cult-worship but a real motivation for greater service to the nation.
Quotations are a good way to end up a lofty speech like SONA. Only, be careful who to quote from given that politics is inescapably given to cynicism.. For instance, PBMM quoted from the British philosopher Johh Stuart Mills who in a book warned against the reality of electing representatives with low intelligence. In asking the youth to emulate Apolinario Mabini, PBBM should also have remembered that the sublime paralytic once wrote that Emilio Aguinaldo could only redeem himself from the treacherous death of Andres Bonifacio by dying in a battle.
As for POGOs, the last has not been seen or said about them. Maybe next time. Maybe never. Let’s wait and see till Alice Guo and the cows come home.
