SONA 2009

Every year, the concerned groups and organizations always wait for the yearly report of the President, critics as the president calls them. Last Monday, for the first time, I sat down in front of the television for an hour just to listen to her report. Some of her political alliance have already gave their inputs before the president actually state her report, noticed their report is somewhat scripted. As expected, positive tale about their projects will be heard.

She first speaks about our economy and said that the state of our nation is a strong economy; when Erap steps down, Gloria Macapal-Arroyo’s name was heard to take his position, everyone is expecting that our economy will be taken care of now since she’s an economist. Honestly, I was impressed to the report of the President. The accomplishments, projects, plans, reforms, almost everything that she had said are really inspiring. From those reports, I can say that the Philippines really improving. But where is that reported improvements? Where is the improvement in the education while every classroom in the public schools are occupying 70-80 students, while the teachers are not satisfied with their salary, while the student are going to school with starving stomachs etc. ? Where is the economical growth in this country while many of employed Filipinos are not satisfied with their salary and benefits and are not regular employees, and many are still unemployed? Where is the real goodness of our OFWs while some of them are in prison of the state and some are imprisoned by their superiors and while their families left here cannot do anything about them but to pray and to cry? One might say that I’m only looking at the negatives, that there are really improvements but sad to say the negatives are the majority! Yes, there is growth in our country, but there is also growth in corruption and injustices and immoralities that covers the little goodness of our present leaders. The President’s effort to improve our country is truly remarkable but with personal agenda added in it, it is a waste (sad to say). Another thing, the criticism that she’s talking about must be answered and not just ignore and answer by another question.

It’s good that she’s giving only the good news in her report, but did she really accept the fact that we’re very affected with the global crisis? I feel that she’d been overwhelmed by what she had done and she has forgotten that the crisis is a continual process that the country needs to be prepare of. That’s one of the reasons why she’s always being criticized. She acts like everything is working fine but the reality is the opposite.

Improvements that we need cannot be seen in papers, ratings, budgets, laws, reforms and in anything that the President Arroyo had said in her SONA. She must show it in every homes’ dining table, in every classrooms’ number of students, in every office with satisfied employees and every child’s face in dreaming better future that are waiting for them.

I wonder if she ever had a view on the reports about the student who attends class with an empty stomach, bare footed, without books and notebooks and etc.? Will she be able to boast about our country’s education system? She even justified her trips to other countries as successful while giving those depressed and underprivileged the feeling of resentment.

Her speech is empty. I never heard her say of any plans on how she intends to end her presidency with pride or justice, with true leadership. She still has few months before she ends up her role as our president, hoped she will spend it with true patriotism and true leadership. After all, no one will ever be late in doing better.