SONA 2008
THE 8th SONA buy The Moth
You can read the full text and view the actual view of President Arroyo’s 8th SONA in the just launched website of Radio Television Malacanang Barbie Fairytopia: Magic of the Rainbow dvd The Singing Detective divx Romeo + Juliet release
Desperado ipod download The Foreigner dvd
. This website is different from the OPS website and the site of the Office of the President and it will contain texts and videos presidential speeches and other official activities. RTVM launched the website just in time for this year’s SONA. And this is part of RTVM’s aim to modernize their service, a move they already started implementing even in organizing the broadcast pool that accompanies the President in her trips here and abroad. So please go ahead and visit the site and view PGMA’s SONA this year and formulate your own opinion about the contents of the speech.
To sum it all up, the 57 minute long speech included a litany of accomplishments using case studies (those that the president acknowledged in her speech) as proofs of this administration’s “hard work”, a lengthy defense of the decision not to scrap the VAT especially because it will be the source of more funds they can use for more subsidies and an list of priority measures she wants congress to pass as soon as possible. And oh yes, there’s also a couple of crowd pleasing lines about reducing the price of texting. (This turned out to be a mere “promo”.)
The gimmickry of inviting case studies and letting them sit down in strategic locations inside the plenary hall, and asking them to stand up when acknowledged by the President during her speech is nothing new. She’s done this in past SONAs and in fact this can be considered as an evolved version of the Bangkang Papel kids concept she used in her earlier SONA.
I am “thankful” that they repeated the practice this year, and I will explain why, so please read on.
Based on the SONA speech drafts that we saw going around the palace before the final version was delivered at the Batasan complex today, I’d like to say that hearing the names of: Federico Alvarez (the jeepney driver), Edwin Bandilla (the farmer), Rosario Camma (the Bugkalot chieftain turned mayor who went to congress in his tribe’s garb), the four lady graduates that finished school because of government education loans and scholarships, Victoria Mindoro, Pedro and Concordia Faviolas (more farmers) and Alan Amanse (the Donsol whale watcher)… is way way way better than hearing the names of PGMA’s allies mentioned in every government project that they helped achieve.
When I read one of the drafts that contained the names of senators, congressmen and local leaders allied with PGMA side by side with government projects, my first reaction was, “sila sila na naman?”. Kasama na sa mga biyahe, sila pa ang laman ng SONA? As far as I know, the SONA is not just for the president’s audience inside the Batasan complex, but also for the greater public who are watching on TV and listening to the radio.
Whoever advised the President to ditch the said draft of her penultimate SONA, thank you!
(Nagustuhan kaya ni Lolo Joker na ma-mention ang pangalan niya at ang tag line niya na “kapag BAD ka LAGOT ka” sa SONA speech ng Pangulo kung sakali? Di na nga ito umaattend ng SONA e.)
I still believe that the SONA she delivered at the Batasan’s still quite long.
We were told that during her practices or rehearsals over the weekend, the ten page speech only lasted a little over 30 minutes. The final version she delivered lasted almost an hour.
There were a lot changes.
Based on the draft we saw and what was delivered, the final version was more “fluid” with the “pagkakasunod sunod ng ideas” arranged in a logical manner.
The draft felt like an enumeration of ideas.
The final version followed this line of thought: admitting that there’s a problem (“nag-aalala ako sa…”), blaming the global crisis for the problem and highlighting the supposed readiness of the administration to face the challenge, a long litany of accomplishments (using the case studies they brought to the plenary as, some say “props”), followed by a long explanation about her decision NOT to scrap the VAT, especially because they will need the funds from the VAT to fund their social welfare program, which means more subsidies for the poor, more promises, more laws that needed to be passed to aide them in their programs, all summed up with a closing statement that sounded a lot like a threat:
“As your President, I care too much about this nation to let anyone stand in the way of our people’s well being. Hindi ko papayagang humadlang ang sinuman sa pag-unlad at pagsagana ng taong bayan. I will let no one – and no one’s political plans – threaten our nation’s survival. Our country and our people have never failed to be there for us. We must be there for them now.”
-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
Two portions of the speech that drew (mixed) reactions (including raised eyebrows and guffaws) from where I was sitting:
ON ANTI CORRUPTION:
“More advanced corruption practices require a commensurate advances in legislative responses. Colleagues in Congress, we need a more stringent Anti-Graft Act.” (may mga natawa, talaga lang daw?)
ON FAMILY PLANNING:
“By promoting natural planning and female education, we have curbed population growth to 2.04% during our administration, down from the 2.36 in the 1990’s, when artificial birth control was pushed. Our campaign spreads awareness of responsible parenthood regarding birth spacing. Long years of pushing contraceptives made it synonymous to family planning. Therefore informed choice should mean letting more couples, who are mostly Catholics, know about natural family planning.”
Here are some parts that were not included in the final version:
(Some important strategies for rice sufficiency) “The FIELDS program or Fertilizer Irrigation Education Loans Dryers and Seeds”
And this quote about “more subsidies” and PGMA’s planned reply to claims that she’s into dole-outs to improve her numbers:
“It is better to teach a man to fish than to give him fish. But who can fish on the edge of starvation? Some say cash assistance and subsidies spoil the poor. Not true. They tide the poor over bad times and keep them on their feet.”
(Quite controversial, huh? Do you think she should have used the said line or was it wise of the palace to strike it out of the final version?)
And guess what?
Before the SONA, I was studying the recent survey results and something struck me.
This one’s from the latest SWS survey showing that the Arroyo administration’s approval falls to -21, the lowest since 1989.
See the survey results HERE.
“It said the June 2008 survey found moderate net ratings (from +11 to +30) on helping the poor, with 50 percent satisfied and 35 percent dissatisfied, or net +15, and foreign relations, with 42 percent satisfied and 29 percent dissatisfied, or net +13. The administration received mediocre ratings (from –10 to +10) on the issues of reconciliation with Muslim rebels, at +10 (41 percent satisfied, 31 percent dissatisfied), fighting terrorism, at +10 (43percent satisfied, 33 percent dissatisfied), distributing lands to deserving tillers, at +8 (42 percent satisfied, 34 percent dissatisfied), ensuring that medicines are affordable, at +4 (42 percent satisfied, 38 percent dissatisfied), and fighting crimes, at +4 (40 percent satisfied, 36 percent dissatisfied). But it obtained poor ratings (from –16 to –22) on the issues of fighting inflation, with net –16 (35 percent satisfied, 51 percent dissatisfied), ensuring that no family will be hungry, with net –18 (30 percent satisfied, 49 percent dissatisfied), and eradicating graft and corruption, with net –22 (29 percent satisfied, 51 percent dissatisfied).”
And there’s more…
“It is said that the satisfaction improved in ten tested issues, compared to the previous quarter. Net satisfaction with the administration turned from neutral to positive for four issues: helping the poor rose by 8 points, from +7 to +15, fighting terrorism rose by 5 points, from +5 to +10, foreign relations rose by 9 points, from +4 to +13, and reconciliation with Muslim rebels rose by 7 points, from +3 to +10. It switched from slightly negative to slightly positive for three issues: distributing lands to deserving tillers under the land reform rose by 12 points, from –4 to +8, ensuring that medicines are affordable went up by 13 points, from –9 to +4, and fighting crimes rose by 14 points, from –10 to +4. The negative ratings of three issues decreased: fighting inflation improved by 16 points, from –32 to –16; ensuring that no family will be hungry improved by 8 points, from –26 to –18; and eradicating graft and corruption improved by 7 points, from –29 to –22.”
(source SWS SURVEY and GMANEWS.TV)
After reading this survey result and listening to PGMA’s SONA, should we still wonder why the president decidedly spent a lot of time expounding on “helping the poor” ( also known as social welfare program and defending the VAT because it is the financial source for the program?), the peace talks including the ancestral domain issue and land distribution?
So that’s why it was tweaked.
+++
POST SONA CONVERSATIONS
As previously announced by the officials of the Presidential Management Staff, there will be no mention of Charter Change.
But conversations with sources from the political scene confirmed that Chacha may not have been heard in the halls of congress during the SONA, but it sure is being talked about by those concerned, “yun nga lang ay pabulong pa”.
(btw, please read the two recent PDI columns of Artemio Panganiban regarding PGMA and charter change, HERE and HERE)
Going back…
The discovery started with conversations about recent survey results.
And no I am not talking about the President’s dismal numbers in popularity and trust surveys. I am talking about the 2010 related surveys.
I don’t want to discuss the standings of some of the presidential aspirants. I may be covering them come campaign time.
What piqued my interest was the sudden appearance of former President Joseph Estrada’s name in one of the surveys conducted by a “survey firm”. Erap’s name wasn’t included in their past surveys for 2010 aspirants. Nope, hindi naman ako nagtaka dahil may mga pahaging na about Erap’s plan to run again especially if the various opposition bets won’t unite at magka watak watak muli ang opposition. Marami surprises sa kwentong ito, but for starters, I was intrigued in the sudden inclusion ni Erap sa specific survey firm survey na ito. In another survey firm, Erap’s name was included in past 2010 related surveys.
Erap’s numbers are high. But in some surveys there’s a “pababa” trend. Plus we all know that the pardon given to him by PGMA stipulates that he can’t run anymore.
So the question now is: if he no longer mattered (supposedly), why does one of the country’s stronger political parties always include him in the names submitted for 2010 survey? And why does the palace also include his name in its own 2010 surveys?
An insider then told me this… aside from monitoring the former president’s “hatak sa pulitika”, there are other intriguing issues surrounding the Erap “factor”.
“Huh?” (I asked.)
“The political threat that is Erap, can even help them get what they want.”
The source said, the admin may be able to push their charter change agenda much easier, if they can use the scary prospect of another Estrada presidency to their advantage.
“Huh?” (I asked again.)
“They can always spin it as, mas okay na magpalit ng konstitusyon at porma ng pamahalaan kaysa kainin muli ang iniluwa na.”
If this is true, then we just have to give it to this administration for having this penchant of finding an opportunity in a potentially bad situation.
But will the likes of Mar Roxas, Manuel Villar, Noli De Castro, Ping Lacson, Loren Legarda and Chiz Escudero allow this to happen?
As Artemio Panganiban asked in his column, will the people allow this?Waterworld divx
Webby Said:
on July 29, 2008 at 9:10 am
Legarda said she wore a backless black gown made by Paul Cabral to “mourn” the current state of the country.
Yan ang statement, he hehe