Wednesday, July 30, 2008 Limlingan: Sona perspective By DP Limlingan The Advocate
FILIPINOS had much anticipation on the President's State Of the Nation Address or the Sona. Others mispronounce it, in their twisted tongues as "sauna," others with intent, as "sana." The more brutal ones, coined new meanings from the acronym such as "stealing of nation's assets" among others.
The Sona is the President's finest hour in rendering the report of her accomplishments, what she has done, what is ought to be done and what she wanted to do. It is the submission of the "report card" of the highest leader of the land to the constituency on the hallowed halls of the House.
As a media practitioner, I usually scratch the mint out of the two sides of a coin. Like every scribe in a fair, just and responsible journalism world should do, one should not blot his pen on one side and make it dry on the other side of some issues.
On one side, opposition critics feasted on it. On the other side, pro-administration defenders gave the PGMA's administration either a passing or a high grade. The rest won't even bother to listen. The die-hards take seats at the Congress' plenary to watch Her Excellency, on the other hand, the militants on the streets to stage their own Sona and the usual effigy-burning.
PGMA on Monday delivered her eighth and second to the last Sona before finishing her term as the President of the country.
Statistics revealed that she earned 104 applauses from the live audiences at Batasan as she delivered her address.
The longest and most reverberating accolade in the more than an hour-long speech of the President were heard when PGMA announced the price cut of text messaging by telecom companies, an indication that the Philippines is really the texting (or SMS) capital of the world.
Too shallow others would say. I opine that is a breakthrough that almost all of the population would surely benefit at least.
The justification of the value-added tax (VAT) was one of the salient features of this year's Sona. It is justice for the allies and additional burden for the anti's.
For the logical, it is the extraction of the lifeblood of the nation although then Senatoriable Ralph Recto was said to have lost the elections due to his positive inkling to VAT.
Administration men came to the rescue saying VAT is a bitter pill that we have to swallow for us to have a relief.
A topic of the address that might have tickled the fancy of pro-life advocates is on PGMA's side with the passage of the Reproductive Health Bill that promotes natural family planning as a solution to population boom.
Mindanao, which has six out of the 10 poorest provinces of the land, was well given attention when the President announced that the issue on ancestral domain has been resolved.
Irrigation was given attention as the price of basic commodities such as rice went on a series of hikes recently. As a basically agricultural country, I agree with our President that we give focus to improving what we got.
Gasoline and diesel prices surge was addressed with focus on alternative sources like the LPG, compressed natural gas and bio-fuel, perhaps in anticipation of an impending global energy crisis.
PGMA announced her continued fight against graft and corruption by announcing her 3-billion anti-graft campaign fund. Critics retorted that the President should be policing her own ranks that smear her own drive against graft.
On a brief, the President asked the Congress for the passage of a Consumer Bill of Rights. I hope it won't be just a replication or mutation of the existing Consumer Act.
Notably, the President used the most ordinary of her countrymen as witnesses to the improvement of social living conditions of the Filipinos. She mentioned a few of the unknown who now enjoy the government's effort of improving the lives of the living.
I admire our kabalen President when she noted, like an elementary school student, the subjects bearing the "needs improvement mark" as she enjoined everyone to give a hand and help in our fight against all the ills and ails of our society. She asked the Congress for some measures on how to combat these.
We cannot avoid comparisons. Of statistics. Of development in other countries. And of personalities, as the President of the United States was compared as unpopular as PGMA. We cannot avoid people from bursting their ire branding the message of Her Excellency to the Filipino people as "kahibangan and pambobola."
Like a mother, the President manifested her care to her people, giving rationalization to the parens patriae principle discussed in Political Law subjects. She recognized the indignation of her political foes by bravely announcing that she will not allow anyone to get in the way in the road to development and progress. She recognized the role that we all play and should, the reciprocity of responsibility, and mentioned the fact that we are one nation with one fate.
Like a magnet that attracts on either of its poles, the Sona has attracted both tirades and praises.
