Saturday, July 28, 2007 Adaza: Sona and the family visit By Attorney Guerrero A. Adaza My Viewpoints
I WAS in our family cottage in Ulaliman, El Salvador City, Misamis Oriental last Monday, July 23rd, to as usual pray, meditate, read a book, supervise the workers of our place and that of the Divine Mercy Hills.
In the afternoon at 4:00 I walked around for 20 minutes for this is my way of exercising.
That afternoon, I listened over Bombo Radyo the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Gloria Arroyo.
It was for almost an hour from 4:05 to 5:00 in the afternoon. It was a good report to the nation of the projects that have been accomplished and those still to be done and completed.
These principally include airports, roads, bridges and roro ports, which are to enhance the businesses of the capitalists and entrepreneurs and the riding public's convenience and comfort.
By and large the report pleased the middle class, the above middle class, the foreign investors and the rich.
But how about the below middle class and the poor? What can they expect? The President did not dwell on specifics on how really to improve the lives of the poor so they at least can have a life befitting a human being with dignity.
Poverty is a major problem in our country. It results to hunger of a substantial portion of the population.
If her plan is to build a strong middle class for the nation, which is really the backbone of any civilized nation, then the President should inform the nation, the specific plans how to really be serious in the nation's efforts to reduce the growing numbers of the unemployed, the hungry, the unschooled and the sick.
The President merely reported that cheap antibiotics and paracetamol can be bought in the botica sa barangay.
She never reported on how the public hospitals doctors and nurses can be made efficient, competent in treating and attending to the indigent poor confined in public hospitals.
The President who make avowals of being a devout religious person did not report on how the policemen, the military and those in power to be moral in this almost morally bankrupt Republic of ours.
She should have enlightened the nation about this, for corruption is everywhere in government and in the private sector.
How in heavens name can this nation be strong if majority of its leaders and people are corrupt and immoral.
History teaches us that empires and civilization of the world crumble when morality of his people is irresponsibly without morals. Rome, Greece, Spain and Portugal are world powers in the past. Today its glories are gone.
In the next year State of the Nation Address, the President should inform the country what is the development of the more than 30 years communist insurgency which is still unsolved.
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I was in Pryce Hotel in its Cafe Cagayan restaurant Friday at 7:30 a.m. with my wife.
We attended Mass before that in the Blessed Sacrament Chaplaincy Chapel in Kauswagan of our City for it was the 35th birthday of our son Rommel.
His wife Kookie and their 3 children were also with us in the Chapel. They however did not join us for the buffet breakfast for they have to be in Rosevale School in Xavier Estates.
While waiting for our son in Cafe Cagayan for he and his wife had to bring their children to school, I noticed in the next table to ours a group of people, three women in office attire, 2 men in police uniform, five in civilian clothes. Two of the civilians were laughing loudly with the 3 women. They spoke in Tagalog, while the two in uniform were silent and two of the civilian-attired did not participate in the loud talk and laughing.
It certainly annoyed me and my wife the behavior of such people, including those in the other tables.
If those ill behaved persons were police officers, they should be taught proper public conduct.
For if they can be unruly before an educated crowd, expectedly their behavior before the underprivileged will certainly be abusive.
I could not understand why the two police officers in uniform who were silent all throughout their stay in the restaurant did not do any thing to tone down their loud talk and laughter.
The majority of our people still do not trust the police because of the misconduct of some of the policemen. Some even are in kidnapping plots or protectors of syndicates. And even co-principals in the commission of serious crimes.
The scalawags in the police and the military, who thank God, are still the minority should be removed from their ranks. They disgraced an organization that is the protector the people.
The development on the MILF and MNLF peace talks and the Abu Sayyaf standing should be reported by the President. She should be bold enough to admit that her administration finds difficulties in the national efforts to resolve the problems.
How about the extrajudicial killings, the kidnappings and the illegal drug problem? How come it is not eliminated for good?
To be strong as she can be. This is the conclusion in her speech. The merchants of crimes, corruptions and terrorism are blocks to her desire to make this country peaceful. It must be removed from the scene.
The legitimate opposition she should not worry about, for they don't advocate violence. Let them talk endlessly. It's an exercise of democracy, even if sometimes it pesters.
