P-Noy’s SONA: Hello Philippines

HAPPY WEEKEND
Gina Dizon

There is concrete hope in a better Philippines. Listening to President Benigno Aquino 111 deliver his State of the Nation Address (SONA) during the joint session of the Congress and the Senate last July 26 got me believing there is hope for an impoverished, corrupted country to rise from poverty and seeming hopelessness.

Just when corruption seemed to be a cancerous vein in its chronic state that cannot be cured, Aquino comes with the hope and workable goal that the age of corruption is no more. Rep. Mikey Arroyo and his friends in Congress and the Senate sat grim and poker-faced with neer an applause emanating from them as the President stressed issues on corruption incurred in the past nine years of administration under former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Nevertheless, P-Noy’s speech was loudly applauded during his delivery as he presented point after point with statistics.

I found the President’s SONA clear and direct of what he wants done like eradicating corruption which had long plagued the country for a long time. And so we came to know that no public bidding was done for P981 million worth of calamity-related projects, and extravagant payroll of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) totaling P 211.5 million annually with each official receiving P2.5 million a year. These, among other litanies of corruption in the previous 9- year term of former president Gloria Arroyo.

I haven’t been that inspired to dream in the previous administrations which had leaders with corrupted names to include former presidents Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Joseph Estrada and even Fidel Ramos, and of course not to forget Ferdinand Marcos.

The term of former President Corazon Aquino was not that encouraging though. I guess so because not much was delivered from what seemed to be dazzling hope and promise for a renewed Philippines. We can only look back to the popular or rather unpopular Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) which gave birth to the Department of Agrarian Reform.

With its avowed intentions to distribute land to the landless, the Aquino’s and Cojuangco’s Hacienda Luisita stayed controversial with the passage of Executive Order 229 which provided distribution of stocks to farmers instead of land. Farmers are still hopeful that the land shall be given to them.

With the assumption of Benigno Aquino 111 as the 15th President of the country, the undelivered promises of her mother and former president Corazon Aquino comes to be placed at the stage for delivery. The people await promises to come true.

I guess my feeling now was the feeling of those who wanted change to happen during the time of Cory. Just when she took over the leadership from the reins of a corrupt and human rights- violated term of then president Marcos, people dreamed something good is going to happen.

In the same vein, people seemingly are resolved to dream more today. Similarities show in the assumption of the mother and son to the presidency.

Both assumptions to the highest position of the land come from previous administrations holding records of a country riddled with utter impoverishment, corruption and human rights violations. In like manner, Noynoy Aquino assumes from the viciously corrupt leadership of Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo. Corruption-related cases including the allegedly overpriced P1.2-billion Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard, the Commission on Elections’ P1.3-billion poll computerization program, the P728-million fertilizer scam and the $329-million national broadband network deal with ZTE Corp are familiar.

The public shows a sympathetic and encouraging attitude to the leadership of Noynoy with an 85 percent approval rate that things can happen. Even that of eradicating corruption in government. Too, we are reminded of the supported leadership of Cory upon her assumption to the presidency.

The pressing difference though is that Benigno Aquino 111 must be that he is encouraged to strive to make his ideals happen and not make a repeat of failure from broken dreams of his mother’s leadership; and ultimately make his father’s ideals of democracy come to concrete reality. That is, to think otherwise is seemingly a no-no to even ponder of.

P-Noy’s assertion with a somewhat a forceful and emphatic voice shows a determined effort to make things happen- that corruption can be stopped. Quixotic as it may sound, the resolve comes with the formation of the Truth Commission and a stringent approach to charging corrupt officials including the changing of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez to a deserving officer.

As of presstime, Gutierrez faces an impeachment case at the House of Representatives for grave dereliction of duty and unreasonable failure to take immediate action to the complaints filed against various public officials, including GMA and her husband Jose Miguel Arroyo regarding the national broadband network deal with the Chinese firm ZTE Corporation.

That is, stopping corruption shall mean more services given for the lot of Filipino people in terms of education, food security, health, and retirement. It shall mean more livelihood and job opportunities created. And it shall mean more Filipinos working in the country and stay with their families.

Above all, it creates the sense of trust and confidence to government officials that government service is a public trust and that people can turn to government to live up to its role as parens patria.

Where such is the impression created, people shall also be inspired and encouraged to be honest, hardworking, and above all think for the betterment of the country much as they think for the betterment of themselves and their families.

A brief observation among Filipinos says most think for the betterment of themselves and their families. Period. There is no hope and life in the Philippines. So the mind set is that hope and better life is found outside of the country. It is unfortunate that a corrupt leadership in the past made this kind of thinking among most Filipinos.

Ask every OFW who goes outside of the country and most of those who stay inside the country and you will find that life means living for one’s self and making the family prosperous and get out of poverty. Anyone who would ever think of making a country great seems to be out of his head. And so we hear the statement most of the time: Apay makan mo ti prinsipyo?

The call of the Filipino is to work for money so that there will be food to eat and some money to send to a son or daughter to gain a college diploma. About the country? Forget it. Goodbye Philippines.

As I sit pounding on the keyboard of this worn out 19- aged Toshiba computer which is still as good as it works and still reliable, I have faith in this new administration bent on making a better nation.

Whatever was missing and was not said during the SONA like housing and Hacienda Luisita, it is up to the people to fill in the blanks and contribute to the making of a new and great nation. Mabuhay Pilipinas!