OKI NA SANA PERO SANA SONA

The President’s 8th State of the Nation Address was quite deceiving yet improving. I watched the SONA in the YouTube and my ears got tired hearing the crowd’s applause every now and then. The loudest applause was made during GMA’s announcement of the 50 centavo cost per text message between networks. But sad to say, it seems that the President became too excited to announce good news for the people that she falsely announced the granted request from the Telecoms networks. The Telecommunication networks immediately explained and cleared the President’s statement through the news programs that the 50 centavo per text message is just a three months promo by Globe, Smart and Sun. (Sayang, hehe)
This year's SONA appeared to be more of a persuasive speech than an address for the nation. Puro pampalubag-loob sa mga tao. Syempre nakakatuwa at nakakabilib nga namang marinig na dahil sa VAT nasialba ang Pilipinas mula sa lumalalang pandaigdigang krisis; nakakabilib nga namang makita ang mga pangkaraniwang taong patunay ng tagumpay ng kanyang mga programa? Ngunit ilan lang ba sila? Puro positibo lamang ang nabanggit. . . parang nasa langit. . . ngunit ang totoo'y paralamang panaginip. . .
But I must also say that this year’s SONA improved (at least in its format and presentation). It is a lot better compared with the previous years. It can be observed that while the President was doing her speech, a video presentation served as a visual aid to help the audience clearly understand the information stated in the SONA but still the viewers at home wasn’t be able to see it. Another improvement that I was really hoping to happen in a SONA is to deliver it in a way or in a language that larger number of people, including most especially the masses would understand. The President did a Taglish delivery of the SONA which I think was good. I could say that because of this, more people were able to understand and catch the message of her SONA. But there’s one thing that I observed while she did this strategy of delivering the SONA. Most of the time she spoke in straight Filipino when she is explaining or saying good news, accomplishments, future plans of her government. She spoke in Filipino when she told the good things that people can look forward in the government for the years to come but when she was explaining the global crisis that covers the country today and the reality that prices of food and fuel will still stick to high costs, she plainly and purely used English. Is that a strategy for the people to retain the Filipino words stated in the SONA which were purely good news? Still, I am hoping that there will be a Philippine President who will do a SONA in pure Filipino and will let the subtitles do the job for the rest who only understands English. (hehehe)
One thing that I disliked in the SONA was the fact that the President took a bunch of the time enumerating the benefits that VAT gave the people, to a point of attributing the country’s survival in the global crisis because of it. I would like to believe that but still the food commodities’ prices are too high for many people. For this year’s SONA, it is surprising that I would site a favorite line by the President, a statement that can be powerful to move the country and its leaders, “Leadership is doing what’s necessary however hard it is. . . We are one nation with one faith.” I guess in these words of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, finally, no one would ever try to counter.