An ‘excellent’ third SONA, thanks PNoy

As always, since this (State of the Nation Address) SONA thing came to being in the Philippine archipelago, there have been expressions of disapproval to the third state of the nation address given by His Excellency President Benigno S. Aquino III of the Republic of the Philippines to the joint session of the Philippine Senate and the House of Representatives last Monday7 afternoon (July 23). Despite criticisms, including those from certain militant groups and fronts (take note that yearly they are ready to stand up with a counter-statement which substantially litanizes what they perceive as government failures), the greater number of reactions to that SONA, which Pres. Aquino delivered in Filipino, have been favorable and, in a sense, an expression of resounding approval of what the highest government official of the Philippines had been saying.

Among those highly satisfied with the SONA is Senator Chiz Escudero himself. Says he: “I congratulate and commend the President for a an excellent SONA. It was clear, detailed and inspiring. It restores our sense of Filipino pride.” There are many others with similar feedback. I’m one of them. My close friends who had taken effort to listen to the SONA are one of them. We are happy we share the same reaction.

A SONA is not everybody’s business or affair. It is a personal but official thing. It is personal to the President. It is personal on account of the hard evidence available to the President on which he makes his official claims and statements, including his views of how things have been and are in our country.

Everybody can say whatever he or she wishes to say about the state of things in the Philippines. But make no mistake about it. That from this everybody is not and can never be official. It can never be official because it cannot find support from anywhere in the Philippine bureaucracy, specifically from anywhere in the branches of the Executive Department. Therefore? It’s useless to be telling the President and other big, serious thinkers, about that unofficial perception. And because it always stays as an empty talk, it can carry all sorts of meanings and interpretations, including how they are prominently described: “black propaganda”. A black propaganda is always meant to portray a counterpositional image, and is therefore either a lie or a half-truth, and whichever it is, an evil wrong. It doesn’t deserve a bit of pondering, not even by a court of law or by a quasi-judicial body. Mark it.

Marlon Tano, in his program on DyVL last Tuesday mid-day, should have been listened to by detractors of the Aquino administration. His integral peroration said it all on how the SONA was to be viewed.

But granting without admitting that there were parts of PNoy’s promises that have not yet been fulfilled, or that there were other lapses in his governmental environment, the safest and most honest thing to consider is the fact that there are myriads of other factors that continue to remain as a hindrance. In fact, every new administration faces that malady, not only since the Quirino administration but even as early as when Magellan set foot on Homonhon Island in Samar – maybe even long before that aborted circumnavigation of the globe. Maybe truly yes, because we learn from the Holy Bible that there had been instances of inequities narrated in the Old Testament and during the time of Jesus Christ. There always lurk evil minds with evil desires, one, to be on top to become a tyrant or ruler or simply a king or queen of thieves, two, to degrade others in order to conceal truths (such as the evil ways which many religious groups and leaders prefer to commit and do despite their own warnings of a backfire.

Two outstanding statements, to my passing memory, were made in the Third SONA. One, PNoy paid homage to all Filipinos who did their best for the good of this country. He made everyone realize that they are what they are today because of what they did last year: “ikaw ang gumawa nito”. He didn’t arrogate unto himself things that actually belonged or were the making of others. In his second SONA, Pres. Aquino entrusted back to the people a kind of trust on things that could be done for the Philippines and their genre. As he said it last Tuesday: “Noong nakaraang taon, ang hamon ko sa inyo: iwaksi ang kultura ng negatibismo; sa bawat pagkakataon, iangat ang kapwa-Pilipino.” Then, he reminded the Filipino nation about his highest respect: “Humaharap po ako sa inyo bilang mukha ng isang gobyernong kayo ang boss at kayo pa rin ang lakas.” Two, PNoy heralded this early good tidings: “sa mga nagtatrabaho sa pamahalaan: Performance Based Incentives…. Simula ngayong taon, magpapatupad tayo ng sistema kung saan ang bonus ay nakabase sa pagtupad ng mga ahensya sa kanilang mga target para sa taon. Nasa kamay na ng empleyado ang susi sa kanyang pag-angat. Ang insentibo, maaaring umabot ng tatlumpu’t limang libong piso, depende sa pagpapakitang-gilas mo sa iyong trabaho. Dagdag pa ito sa across-the-board na Christmas bonus na matatanggap mo.” And that manifests his highest recognition for the honest service of the government worker.

For all that you said in your SONA, Mr. President Noynoy Aquino, thank you very much. Madamo hin duro nga salamat. May God always guide you in your decisions and actions until your Fourth SONA by July, 2013. Ngan unta, nga di’ pa magsasada an tuig 2012 makasal ka na ha im’ pinili nga matam-is nga gugma.

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‘But Marxism emphasizes the importance of theory precisely and only because it can guide action. If we have a correct theory but merely prate about it, pigeonhole it and do not put it into practice, then that theory, however good, is of no significance. Knowledge begins with practice, and theoretical knowledge is acquired through practice and must then return to practice. The active function of knowledge manifests itself not only in the active leap from perceptual to rational knowledge, but–and this is more important–it must manifest itself in the leap from rational knowledge to revolutionary practice. The knowledge which grasps the laws of the world, must be redirected to the practice of changing the world, must be applied anew in the practice of production, in the practice of revolutionary class struggle and revolutionary national struggle and in the practice of scientific experiment. This is the process of testing and developing theory, the continuation of the whole process of cognition.’ – Mao Tse Tung

By: Chito Dela Torre

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