GMA And Her Upcoming SONA: Where is RP Headed?

Written on Thursday, July 17th, 2008 at 8:26 am | by Ding G. Gagelonia

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will be delivering the penultimate State Of the Nation Address (SONA) of her presidency on July 28, premised on the constitutionally-mandated timetable for the next presidential elections in May 2010.

So in key giant billboard positions in metropolitan Manila, the theme of Mrs. Arroyo’s SONA is being announced: Ekonomiya.

Here the government spinmeisters are, more or less, right on the nose, where ultimately the time-worn phrase, “It’s the economy, dummy!” is what defines any goverrnment’s legacy to the presumed sovereign electorate.

But people are asking if indeed it is the economy, then why have they not been feeling the on-the-ground quality-of-life-uplifting-effects of the 5-plus percent per annum economic growth rate that the Philippines has been racking up?

Why is it that as poverty and inflation are climbing, the much demonized ‘C’ word, corruption, is much in evidence.

List the still unresolved ZTE-NBN scandal, the questions about the North Rail project, and now the revelations about the near P1-billion coal importation contract award of the National Power Corporation, plus the generous P1-B donation by the Winston Garcia-led GSIS, and the discovery of 200,00) cavans of NFA rice left rotting in a warehouse in Iloilo while thousands line up like beggars to buy government-imported rice?

The people are asking where is the Philippines headed with this current state of the nation? WHERE?

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About The Author: Ding G. Gagelonia is a journalist of some 30 years, having worked in both radio and TV news and public affairs since his teens. Ding Gagelonia now writes independently and does corporate communications consulting. He has two kids, Felice and Luis. His journalist blog is at midfield.wordpress.com

Filed Under Business and Economy, National News, Politics, Society

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Comments

5 Responses to “GMA And Her Upcoming SONA: Where is RP Headed?”

  1. Bencard on July 25th, 2008 12:51 am

    you know as well as most of us here that what a president (any president) says in a SONA is a plan of action - a roadmap if you will - of what he/she wants to achieve for the nation, and what he/she intends to do to attain it. it’s by no means a “promise”, a contractual obligation, or a binding pledge, to produce a successful result. it’s no more than an aspirational wish the fulfillment of which is subject to the vagaries of the unknown.

    positive accomplishments do not necessarily translate to instant gratification. the policies that are put in place today, or a few years ago, may not bear fruit in one person’s lifetime. but that doesn’t render the policy bad or useless.
    someone said the strength of democracy is its weakness. it is weak because, for the most part, it is not capable of instant solutions, instant justice, instant condemnation, or instant retribution.

    despotism and dictatorship come about when people become impatient with democracy. that’s why the enemies of democracy love to exploit perceptions of miseries that they themselves usually promote.

  2. Ding G. Gagelonia on July 25th, 2008 6:46 am

    Bencard,

    I agree with you on all points, most definitely. Let’s simply note, if we may, the obligation of any leader to be held to account for actions that erode the country’s democratic institutions. No elaboration needed here.

    Note how latest press reports quote a survey as saying only 18 percent of Filipino believe the president will be truthful in her upcoming SONA.

    Sad, indeed.

  3. Bencard on July 25th, 2008 9:24 am

    ding, as long as what she says is verifiable as true, who cares about surveys? let’s face it. the president is not popular. that doesn’t mean she is necessarily a bad or ineffective president. maybe, fifty or hundred years from now, our progenies will look back at her presidency with open mind and conclude that she had been, at least, a good president.

  4. benign0 on July 25th, 2008 9:30 am

    One thing’s for sure.

    In small minds, perception (an outcome of these “surveys”) usually trumps an objective view of reality (something only that rare activity called thinking — as far as Pinoy society is concerned — can uncover).

  5. Ding G. Gagelonia on July 25th, 2008 9:30 am

    Signing off on this exchange the, Bencard, history will indeed be the judge, as it has in the case if Marcos.

    Erap is still alive, yet most feel the verdict of history is in.

    So let’s say the jury is still out in the case of the sitting president.

    Indeed for leaders, past and present, till they themselves meet their Maker, history will not yet be done with them.

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