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The SONA of the President Of the Philippines
July 25,2005 was a date in history for the Filipino people. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo delivered her fifth State Of the Nation Address as the president of the Philippine Archipelago.
The Filipino people watched the event with mixes of opinions and emotions; others with "curious ignorance", some with the cloud of doubts, a chosen few with "paid enthusiasm" and still others with cynical and skepticism. The Filipinos had been so tired and weary of promises and lies which are only meant to lull them into deep slumber. They become so tired of working day by day and of believing there is one good future ahead. However, despite everything, Filipinos keep on, surviving a day, believing that a tomorrow will always be coming no matter what.
My mother has always fastened her ears to her transistor radio. Funny, but she'll quarrel with everybody else in the house if a battery has been negligently lost. No matter how faint the sound of the radio, she will always hear news. Sometimes, she has no money to buy new batteries.
The President's SONA was at least heard. According to her, we have a country divided; two Philippines. One Philippines is ready to take off to bright future with a good economy, the other Philippines is pulling the other down. According to the President, she was able to create four million jobs for the people. And still according to her, the best solution to all the the problems that we have is CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGE! This was met by applause and standing ovations by the "paid enthusiast".
The Filipinos have always dreamed and I think the President with her dreamy eyes was in deep sleep while delivering her State of the Nation Address. Why did I say this? It is because reality speaks of the real situation that we have. Of course we had always been divided. Aside from being an archipelago, we have ethnicities and different cultures. But as Filipinos, our aspiration is one- that is of having a government that will really take good care and protect our interests as a people,with honesty, fairness and justice.
It is sad to note that what the President have said in her State of the Nation Address were mere innuendos that were meant to fool the fools. Where are those four million jobs she was saying? Are we ready to take off economically because of the taxes she vowed to gather from the people because of the EVAT? Yes, of course the President never knew how it is to be poor!
In the case of our "dividedness", for me there are only two divisions that divide our country; the rich and the poor. In between are the law makers acting like poor but enjoying all the luxuries only the rich and the powerful can afford. And the poor are bound to suffer, to be used and be abused by those who for their greed and lust for wealth will do everything to manipulate whatever political exercise we have in this country.
Am I too hopeless and desperate? Too cynical? Perhaps. But as things progress I think the President is pushing us to the limits. She wants to stay in power, too proud to step down. The Constitutional Change she was trying to tell us are only meant to lull those greedy politicians, to divert the issue so that all other issues will be set aside. She only meant to put us under her trap. For no constitution can change our country,our governance and our people if we are liars. No constitution can change the attitude and values of our people if we continue to deceive them through our schools which gives us rotten quality of education and which are only meant to make the people dump some more. Nor can the constitution change us if we are under the spell of religious hypocrisy. Yes, as a startled observer of all this things happening to us, I'm wondering if there will still be one Philippines for us!
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