It is that time of the year again when countless protests are erupting from all over Manila; sarcastic senators are showing up on our precious television sets bickering; and haggard news reporters are all over the newsroom preparing for their big event. No, it is not the end of the world. It is time for SONA, the State of the Nation Address of our beloved President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. For the opposition party, Same Old Nonsense Again should replace the current extension for the acronym, SONA, for it is much more appropriate.
Success!
Although I do not share their wishes for this to happen, I certainly accept the idea that this months’ SONA will be nothing but promises and blown up achievements again.
Luckily, classes were dismissed right on time for me and my Dad to turn on the radio and listen to the infamous SONA. I turned the knob of our car radio and tuned in to the station that was covering the said event. A few moments later, I started to hear that familiar, screechy voice. “Oh, it’s her speaking”, I said to myself.
Maybe it was better that we were only able to hear the SONA on the radio over watching it live on television. In that way, I wouldn’t be distracted by the thousands of pretentious and plastic people crowding up the screen. On a more serious note, the radio kept me concentrated on the message of the speech rather than how the speaker was talking. Even though the TV gives us a more appealing and interactive view of the event, it also bombards us with numerous distractions that may prove to be a hindrance in our listening process.
However, one negative thing about using the radio to listen to the SONA was that I couldn’t see the people she was referring to. Like those farmers who have changed lives or those women who now hold a high position in a certain business. It would be better if I had seen their face for just hearing their names bears no weight.
Let us move on to the contents of her 55-minute speech.
I do not know why, but how come politicians are so fascinated on making roads and bridges? Is that the only thing they can do? We can see this phenomenon, if I may call it, everywhere, most especially in villages and other related communities. For example, “Look there’s a butterfly engraving on the sidewalks. Oh wait. That actually says JB turned into the wings of the butterfly.” In PGMA’s speech, she mentioned her connecting bridges and Ro-Ro success stories aside from the long highways that link two places together.
Another thing she mentioned was the bringing down of text rates to 50 centavos from the usual P1, which fired the mouths of the critics saying that it was simply a promo and the president is just riding in. Though I am not much into the use of my mobile phone for communication, it would be great if they can bring the rates down permanently. But, wouldn’t that also cut the income of the network companies by half?
The government focused more on the uplifting of lives of the less fortunate sector in our country. By establishing different programs with benefits, they aim to increase livelihood performances. However, it seems we still do not feel any of these progresses. Oh the irony.
As an hour passed by the speech ended. The thing is, it didn’t leave any impact on me. Isn’t it that the point of giving a speech is to enkindle the spirits of the listeners? Maybe it’s just me but I’m not that ignorant in the world of politics. If it didn’t leave an impact on me, what about the others my age?
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