PNOY's First SONA 2010

To say that Filipinos are big critics is a sweeping statement I couldn’t probably justify, but I guess I just have to take the risk and say yes we are. Never do I remember a President delivered his/her SONA with much favourable response to it. Having said this, I do not intend to convey that P-NOY’s SONA should be freed from criticism nor do I want to say we stop critiquing. But the point is, it would be a breath of fresh air if we mellow on our fervently critic nature and try to focus on what learning/s have transpired in this SONA. Should we have reasonable suggestions then we make ourselves heard in proper venues and processes – or arm struggle if should be.

This might be funny but after his speech and having heard everyone’s opinion about it I was itching to browse some reference on what a President’s State of the Nation Address should contain. I wanted to go back to the basics before I would rest judgment on how SONA should be done. And my source says simple, SONA is basically a report of the (annual) status of the nation and it normally contains the President’s plan of actions and strategies to mitigate and solve whatever these issues and problems that have been just reflected in the status report. For this reason, opposite to the common impression, I have to say that President Aquino’s SONA is not about taking revenge over the previous administration; instead it’s about informing the public on the grim reality – the true state – that has been kept from them by the past administration. I don’t see any problem in the, somewhat long, litany of controversies, corruption cases and mismanagement deliberately carried out by the earlier administration to serve personal interests. It’s about time to bring these to public’s knowing. Not that we are blind about the government’s corrupt practices – it’s like a monster shadow looming over and stripping what should be for the people, thus, leaving them rotten in poverty – but for once it is good to know that we have a President who’s got balls to expose all these in the right venue, I should say, and in a manner that the general public would understand. It’s about time we pinpoint and make these government officials, agencies and offices face the Filipino people and explain where the public fund went. It’s about time that we take stand and confirm that such anomalies mentioned are not merely some speculations and hearsays some concerned people are pitching on but a terrifying and dismal perennial reality. And that the general public should know.

Of course P-NOY’s SONA didn’t left us only with these realities but it laid to us what are the next steps to be taken given the status, probably not as concrete as everyone has expected. Nevertheless, I believe that P-NOY’s SONA was in the right tract and had the essential message the public should be aware of, hold on to and expect from his administration. Everything starts in a clean, honest, transparent and responsible bureaucracy. From here we can gain confidence from our investors, thus a rise of economic activities is a possibility. The increase of businesses would provide more jobs to the people which give them the capacity to spend for their good. On another hand, once we manage the tax collection well we’ll have bigger chances of having – not necessarily enough – quite good amount to start with to implement our projects and programs that would alleviate the country from its current state.

Dramatic as it may seem but, I think, we are in the pivotal turning point in our history. As I would always say to my friends, this is our last chance, our last hope. If we can’t work it out this time around, I don’t think we can ever do in the near future seeing the quality of dominating public officials and even Sangguniang Kabataan officials (which is expected to be the future leader of the country) we have today. So having succeeded in pulling off the people’s voice in the last election, I guess we deserve a break and, for once, let’s grant ourselves the luxury of hope. Let’s give this new administration a chance and a full support. Let’s be one in rebuilding this nation before we’ll be awaken one morning we’ve already given our last hope to waste.