Thursday, July 31, 2008 Seares: Fuss about the Sona By Pachico A. Seares News Sense
WHEN Robert Redford was asked if he was going to the Super Bowl, a huge thing to Americans, the movie actor reportedly said, "I'll be out skiing. The Super Bowl is all sound and fury, signifying nothing."
Sona or state-of-the-nation address may be great to some Filipinos but to others it's just "meaningless noise and commotion."
Unlike the tale told by an idiot, which Macbeth says life is, Sona is prepared by Palace bright boys who spend months crafting the speech and by the President who takes weeks rehearsing it.
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña is one Sona unbeliever. Maybe he thinks making a report to city residents is such a bore he skipped this year's Soca, the city version. Or maybe he just preferred watching Manny Pacquiao live to making a speech that can put councilors to sleep.
`"Why make a fuss when everyone already knows the state of the nation?"
Pretense
The mayor knows, of course. The fuss is not because of what the Sona informs the people but of what both the President and the opposition get from it.
To the President, it's a chance to talk about what she thinks she has done and what she thinks she can do during the rest of her term.
To critics, it's the chance to flog the President in public and call her names, to flaunt and feed on their hate. To each presidential wannabe, it's the time to say obliquely, Look what a better Sona I could make.
The Sona must be seen for what it is: no more than an annual ritual to keep the pretense of political leaders and militant activists caring about the people.
The fuss is what revs up the charade and fuels the big show.
