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Monday, July 24, 2006
Nalzaro: The President's Sona
By Bobby Nalzaro
I am in the ocean between Zamboanga peninsula and Negros Oriental on board a fast craft on my way back to Cebu City from Dipolog City via the ports of Dumaguete and Tagbilaran Cities when I wrote this column using my Nokia 9500 communicator. I went home over the weekend to my hometown in Dipolog purposely to visit my mother who had just been discharged from the hospital after one week of confinement. I also conducted a review for Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) accreditation examination last Saturday upon the invitation of the KBP Dipolog chapter headed by Romy Sangcap of DXKD (RPN). There were less than a hundred broadcasters who attended the review and took the examination yesterday.
it was a short visit, but I was happy to see my 82-year-old mother especially this time that she needs my presence and comfort. It was unfortunate that I was not by her side when she was in the hospital to attend to her needs. Of her five children, only my sister from Bacolod went home to be with her. But Nanay Doring understands our situation. We are in far away places to earn a living. Our family situation is very common to Filipino families where most children are away from their parents to earn a living. This is harsh reality.
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President Arroyo is scheduled to deliver her State of the Nation Address (Sona) in the heavily guarded Batasan complex this afternoon, amid reports of another destabilization move by some misguided elements of the armed forces and massive demonstrations to be staged by the combined forces of the political opposition and various militant organizations. This is her 5th Sona since she assumed the Presidency after a bloodless Edsa Dos People Power revolution.
The traditional Sona is a sort of annual report card of the Chief Executive enumerating her major accomplishments and her programs in the coming years. It is delivered during the opening of the joint session of the House of Representatives and the Senate every fourth Monday of July.
But what can we expect on the President’s Sona today? Will it be again a litany of her achievements and a rehash of her old Sona? Did the economy and the living condition of the majority of the Filipinos improve under her watch? Did her administration manage to address the pressing problems like the skyrocketing prices in basic commodities, unemployment, massive graft and corruption and the rising problem in criminality?
In a recent survey conducted by the Pulse Asia showed that 27 per cent of the Filipinos do not believe in the President’s Sona. Majority of the respondents doubted the truthfulness of the President’s report, saying it’s just full of promises. What the people need is genuine reforms through action not through promises. Maybe the people are expecting too much from PGMA that she can make miracles by solving the numerous problems confronting the country over night. But why don’t we give her a chance?
(bgnalzaro@gmanetwork.com/09182198333)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (July 24, 2006 issue)
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