a glimpse on my cranium…

By: Catherine G. Mones

One of the most coveted cover story of the year encompasses the much intrigued, much critiqued, much praised and much talked about speech of the President of the Republic, Madam Gloria Macapagal Arroyo which was delivered that fateful 28^th day of July of the present year before the 14^th Congress. The State Of the Nation Address, better known as the S.O.N.A. is one of the most awaited events every year in the history of the Philippines. Every year, millions and millions of Filipinos gather before the television set to anticipate this one catastrophic event. Pure entertainment at its best you might say. And this year’s SONA isn’t an exception…

It isn’t too much of an exaggeration to say that some are way too wild and way too ecstatic about this event. Some only care what the President will be donning as she delivers her speech. What would be the fabric of the extravagant dress be like. Or who would be the haute couture designer who made it. But for some who really does care to what the President has to say, they tend to take a little time from their busy lives, stop for a while and lend and ear to the speech, no matter how factual or trivial it may come out.

This year’s SONA was filled with those so-called achievements that our poor little nation has acquired over the past year under her administration. The President, as firm as she could, stood by to what she said that our country is very much progressing. And, that over the past years, our country had managed to come through alive despite the very depressing economic crisis. That despite all of that, we ended the year 2007 “with the strongest economic growth in a generation” as she said it.

She commended lots of people in regards to these so called improvements. She said, that finally, the countrymen of the Philippines are daring to step foot a little more towards improvement. That finally, people are waking up and taking such drastic measures to strive a little more. And despite the fact that we are in a limbo due to the roller coaster oil and food hikes we get to endure, the global crisis didn’t caught as helpless as expected. And just like the bamboo, the people of this Third World country prevailed oozing with pride.

According to her, she greatly sympathized with the ordinary people who chose to stand by the beliefs that our country has gargantuan opportunities to step out of the shadow so they are working hard in order to make both ends meet.

First, she reiterated how important the role that VAT is playing nowadays is. That thanks to that Value Added Tax, our country’s debts are little by little diminishing, producing more infrastructures and is of big help to the poorest provinces in our country. She said, and I quote: “Take VAT away and you and I abdicate our responsibility as leaders and pull the rug from under our present and future progress, which may be compromised by the global crisis.”

This year’s State of the Nation Address was jam-packed with names of ordinary people nobody’s ever heard of before. I guess that this goes to show that the President keeps a special chamber in her heart for the less fortunate that are doing extraordinary things for the sake of improvement. That these ordinary people are now living better lives because of the by-products of VAT and are now earning a much better income. All in all, she is saying that the VAT became the holding force that keeps this nation in balance.

Come the area of agrarian reform includes a long list of statistics that could prove that a colossal amount of lands have been given to the small people to sustain their living. In attachment to this, she said that there are now by far more jobs for everyone in every portion of our dear archipelago because the agro-forestry is better.

Then came the issue of the war in Mindanao, as for her, the reason why six out of the ten poorest provinces is in Mindanao is because of this unending struggle that holds bars between the people of the South and theGovernment. And that the case isn’t hopeless and we could still patch things up in the form of a harmonious and delicate diplomacy towards the just and lasting peace that we are aiming for which The Congress is working on right now. After all, according to the pope: “There will always be situations of material need where help in the form of concrete love for neighbour is indispensable.”

Then entered the LGUs that supports the government and also makes ways for the country’s betterment. All thanks to them, more Filipinos have insurances, more Filipinos are living under a roof in which they own, more students gets to experience scholarship in expense of the government, and all other projects fashioned to cater to the less-earning people of the society.

In all fairness to the President and to not be an obnoxious antagonist of our country’s motion to move forward, I must say that all of these things that the President are saying we have acquired didn’t come out as baseless as people would think. That despite all of these, there really are some improvements felt within the corners of this country. The peso hit an all-time low from P56.50 to P40.20 versus the dollar rate. And that despite all of these negativities being thrown towards the government, our nation is striving to keep holding on.

This isn’t merely reporting or compressing the SONA in a nutshell…

So to you dear reader, I believe that the President is not an innocent angel sent from above to grant our every petty whims or to automatically and magically eradicate all of our country’s pent up frustrations and difficulties cultivated from eons and generations ago.Nor is she a greedy and menacing diabolical creature who haggles and corrupts every single money she could bore out from our poor little nation for her own sake. Rather, I take her as a very ferocious and strong woman who manages to lead this country in high hopes of a better nation despite the critics and all other hindrances.

She may not be all that we could ever need to uplift our living or someone who could swallow all of the people’s blames for our mishaps and misfortunes and more. But isn’t it that what nation-building requires are citizens with a steady belief that goes along with the action to put dreams into realization and not just a president that you expect to be perfect? The mere problem is we throw all the silliest blames towards the government but forgets to check our own mud that covers our face and the skeletons in our closet.

Isn’t the main ingredient for the total progress we’ve all been seeking for is cooperation and not just mere blabs and trash talk that lack action?

How about that?

You think about it…

And maybe…

Just maybe, you’ll have a better vision and outlook towards next year’s State of the Nation Address rather than just smirking and your eye brows’ a little raised while whining all the way regarding our country’s poor and demeaning status.

What do you think?

~ by cathnirvana on September 17, 2008.