On the agenda: how she intends to deliver her 10-point agenda, including job creation, better access to education and economic growth.

But what if local officials and ordinary citizens could write the State of the Nation Address for President Arroyo?

Here are some of their ideas.

Cebu City Councilor Edgardo Labella
The President already laid down her agenda and by all means she should accomplish them during her six-year term. She has distributed land titles to Cebuano families and I hope she will continue to do that. And of course, push through with her plan to bring the Department of Tourism office here so that we can make Cebu the pivotal point of tourism not only for the Visayas and Minda-nao, but the whole country as well.

Commission on Elections Regional Attorney Marshall Rubia
I am hoping that the President will give priority to the modernization of our electoral processes so that elections in our country can be cleaner, more credible and easier to manage, and we can also avoid post-election protests. Computerized elections will make it easier for the voters to cast their votes, easier for us to count the votes and the public can get more accurate results.

Rep. Antonio Cuenco (Cebu City, south)
President Arroyo should address the nationwide problems of poverty, illegal drugs, kidnapping and peace and order. She must work to provide the students more school-buildings and expand the health services for the public. Another thing that should be given more focus is overseas employment. Our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) must be given extraordinary care by our embassies abroad and illegal recruitment of OFWs should be stopped immediately.

Alvin Dizon, executive director, Center for Participatory Governance
For the next six years, it would be better for President Arroyo to focus on fiscal management, especially with the country’s budget deficit of P500 million and a P3 trillion foreign debt. Another equally important concern is unemployment. She promised to deliver 10 million jobs. Ang question is, unsaon na pagdeliver. People would be interested to know how she will do that. President Arroyo should fulfill her promise to stamp out corruption in government, starting with her Cabinet.

Wennie Badayos, Kilu-sang Mayo Uno-Central Visayas
She should do her best to deliver the six to 10 million jobs she pledged to create. She can do that by promoting genuine land reform and nationalist industrialization. Hatagan pud niya ug prioridad ang edukasyon. Mosaad siya ug dili huot nga classroom? (She should also consider education a priority. She says she wants to decongest classrooms?) How can we attain quality education if the budget per student is only P9.40? As for electricity for all barangays, how can she deliver that when the government insists on privatization?

Maria Pino-Buanghug, Cebu City United Vendors Association
For us in the informal sector, we hope that she will focus on the poverty alleviation program. Vulnerable sectors need houses, food and jobs. I hope she will not focus only on infrastructure, but on human development as well.

Msgr. Achilles Dakay, archdiocesan spokesperson
She should focus on the economic side of things like employment, wages, power and the purchasing power of the peso. She should also line up specific projects on infrastructure because with infrastructure, investments will follow.

Supt. Louie Oppus, Lapu-Lapu City police director
I don’t know how she would do it all simultaneously. But I think she should live up to fulfilling her 10-point agenda. She should be able to maintain or develop the economic situation in order to provide jobs. Providing jobs would also mean maintaining peace and order because unemployed people would no longer resort to committing petty crimes.

SPO4 Mario Monilar, Cebu City Police Homicide Section chief
President Arroyo should alleviate poverty by providing adequate social services, employment and by promoting peace and order.