I can understand the angst
of those who deplore President Aquino’s having devoted easily 45 minutes of his
two-hour twenty-minute SONA to a comparison of his five years in office with
the eight years of former President Macapagal-Arroyo---inevitably sounding like
a long-playing detraction of that former regime, or a broken record.
For the longest SONA in our
history did sound like that---drowning its audience with a million and one
minutiae about how much P-Noy’s administration had accomplished compared to
GMA’s, and his acknowlegment of his loyal subalterns. After a while its sheer length bore some listeners outright. I spotted some former high-ranking officials
in the VIP gallery falling asleep (among them President FVR, chic in his
veteran’s beret), and a couple of ambassadors.
XXX
So detailed was the SONA that it sounded like a country club trying to impress shareholders.But then, how else would
P-Noy be able to impress his audience if he does not use the GMA years’ record
of governance, especially in the economic field, as stepping stone.
What he did
not say, however, was that it’s inevitable that there would be increments in every
aspect, from school-buildings to customs collections, from roads and bridges to
Phil-health enrollees, from PNP pistols to AFP tanks (the only stat that did not increase is the no. of C-130s---still only one
flying). This is because population has been increasing and so have
revenues and needs.
XXX
But the more particular reason
P-Noy needs to drown out his listeners in statistics and aggregate sums is that
it’s easier to hide the fact that after starting in a grand manner in 2010 to
2013, with all the big expectations, the economy has began to
falter.
Ateneo Prof. Joseph Anthony
Lim, a former UP professor who joined a group of State University academics in
conducting the traditional (7th year now) Pre-SONA assessment of the
presidency, pointed out that the P-Noy years from 2011-2014 registered higher
GDP growth than the GMA years 2002-2008, due to higher business and foreign
confidence as evidenced by investment upgrades by Moody’s Fitch’s and S&P
and (perceived) improvements in governance and fiscal balance.
XXX
Starting the 1st
quarter of 2015, however, Prof. Lim points out, the GDP started slowing down to
5.2%, compared to 6.6% in 4th quarter of 2014, this latter already
revised downwards from 6.9%. On the other hand, GNP growth for the same 1st
quarter 2015, registered even lower with 4.7%. In addition, continued Lim, PH
growth in 2014 of 6.1% missed government target of 6.5%, and projected growth
for this year “would most likely again be below government target of
7-8%---given our 1st Q growth of 5.2%." In addition, the economist
noted that “Overall there may be some improvements in unemployment and
under-employment BUT THEY ARE NOT STRIKING (underscoring BOC’s)."
In other words, P-Noy’s
statisticians and speech-writers obviously---and smartly---wanted to leave a picture of
growing economic strength on his farewell SONA, but signs of weakening are
all over the place. So what better way to shake the waters at this point, than
by comparing aggregate sums of progress with those of the immediate past---and
to Aquino fanatics unlamented---regime?
XXX
But in projecting impressive stats that leaped out of the Batasan screens in upward-shooting
columns on various aspects of life in PH, the President skipped so many topics
that the Filipino people wanted to hear from him as Father of the Nation.
Topics which have been most problematic in the life of the people, that touched
their daily lives and seared their innermost emotions and which have rent the
people apart.
For instance, Flavio
Sagonoy, father of PO1 Joseph Sagonoy, one of those who perished in the bloody
and tragic Mamasapano encounter---the SAF 44 or Fallen 44---was
quoted lamenting that P-Noy toasted everyone in his Cabinet and staff,
including his cook (and the public indulged him as it was a paalam); but he failed to even
mention the brave young PNP servicemen who figured in the bloody encounter they
did not fully comprehend nor control.
This is a valid lament from
a grieving father but then, think about it, how could P-Noy have touched on this
topic without apologizing for the death of those brave young men and owning up
to his responsibility to them and the nation?
XXX
I’m so glad P-Noy batted for
passage of the Anti-Dynasty bill---the most applauded of all he said
that evening. I was one of those who clapped, stumped my feet and screamed
lustily for it (now, if only Their Honors would all vote for this bill!). But
in a later moment of sobriety some folks pointed out that while P-Noy had shown
only lackluster support for the FOI bill all these years, now he was pulling it
out of the legislative closet with one purpose---to dig into the vulnerable
side of his arch enemy, Vice President Binay, leader of the Makati dynasty.
Missing in action in the
SONA, too, was P-Noy’s support for the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill, one
of his much-applauded campaign promises; but then, wouldn’t an FOI Law complicate
his life and those of some of his Cabinet members in the coming years of
retribution?
XXX
No word about how he planned
to leave as legacy the battle vs. Climate Change, the most urgent issue facing our
planet today---and our country after Yolanda. P-Noy made a passing reference to improvements
in Pag-Asa, but it will be recalled that he used its chief, Nilo Prisco, as
scapegoat after the terrible storm hit our country, when the culprit was the failure
of various administrations to upgrade beyond tokenism the weather-bureau’s
facilities.
But then, had P-Noy tackled
Climate Change he would have had to explain why until now 2/3 of the nearly
300,000 rendered homeless by Yolanda In the Visayas, especially in Tacloban, are
still in tents.
XXX
No assurance about how he
intends to keep the 2016 elections clean, honest and credible and that
Smartmatic, discredited in many places around the world and more recently in
the US, would be shut out of our political life forever (after all, he had
won); or how to minimize US interference despite the China threat.
P-Noy sought to tackle the
poverty issue by praising to high heavens the Conditional Cash Transfer program---now
a whopping P63 billion and said to cover 4.4 million households, up from
only 786, 523 households when he came into power in 2010--- by citing
testimonials about how some families were able to escape poverty through this
outright dole-out program that, supposedly, keeps schoolchildren in school (its
primary objective).
XXX
But think of how many more
would be helped in more significant ways if the CCT gargantuan funds are channeled
to more meaningful ways, e.g., expanding TESDA to various regions and
beginning technical training among high school or elementary drop-outs who really need help.
I have long held serious reservations about this CCT program—because I’ve heard stories
about how unscrupulous grassroots operators give out only half the dole-outs to
the poor and keep the rest to themselves. My beef is mainly the difficulty in proper
recording and monitoring of the huge dole-outs.
XXX
Above all, there was nothing
in his speech about how to alleviate the terrible plight of tens of thousands
of inhabitants of the Greater Metropolitan Manila who daily have to suffer the
worst traffic jams in the world---now compounded by floods, periodic breakdowns
of the MRT which pose such public danger, and occasionally those of the commuter
trains.
Life is getting better? Tell
that to the tens of thousands of mothers who have to fight out the daily mad
scramble for scarce rides, reach home by 9 pm. with their children already
asleep and who have to leave the house by 6 am., while kids are still asleep,
to get to work by 8 am.?
On second thought, the
President’s speech-writers are right: he should have stuck to his fun SONA of
yesterday.