A SONA for all

It was all the news. The lead-up to it was hard to miss. The hype was extremely palpable. Yes, the second State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, Jr. (PBBM) was front and center all of last week. At slightly past four in the afternoon of Monday, July 24, 2023, PBBM walked into the session hall of the Batasan Pamabansa. He took to the podium, shaking hands with lawmakers and government officials along the way – even stopping for a selfie, at one point! He was going to address the joint session of the Philippine Congress and give the nation a report on his first year of office and a glimpse of his agenda for the next five years of his term. My take: it was a SONA for all. The spirit of inclusiveness threaded the speech from start to finish. In one hour and eleven minutes, PBBM made his report to the whole of government, the diplomatic corps and Filipino citizens who took time to tune in. SONAs are aimed at informing the people about the current state of affairs of the country with a focus on achievements and wins. The report is meticulously crafted, so the audience usually pays attention to all that is said and, as importantly, to all that is left out. Likewise, it is an opportunity for the President to put forth his platform of government for the immediate term and rest of his stay in office. People dissect the more apparent messages and discern the pregnant undertones of the report. It is, in many ways, an exercise in understanding as much as speculation. You might even be led to believe that SONAs are purposely designed to be as specific and deliberate as they are  vague and opaque. But mine is a simple mind. I try to stay away from all the second-guessing and hone in on how sane and sorted the SONA comes together in its entirety – trying to focus on the forest than the trees. As an ordinary Filipino, I try to find the inspiration that the SONA provides. Overall, the tone of the SONA was businesslike. It started with a rundown of the accomplishments of government, citing key facts and figures to support the claims. The second part shifted to a slightly more impassioned appeal for the priorities of PBBM going forward. The review of accomplishments was very much to the point and unembellished. The numbers did much of the talking, though I could already hear the pundits saying that it’s not just about the numerical achievements but as much about the dispersion and distribution of the gains throughout society. So when last year’s 7.6 percent GDP growth was touted – the best in 46 years! – the groans could almost immediately be heard that this did not filter down to the middle and lower income families. When the drop of inflation from a peak of 8.7 percent in January to 5.4 percent in June was acclaimed, the cries of high food prices could already be heard instantaneously. I suppose that there really is no pleasing everybody – despite best efforts at offering some token of accomplishment to all, for all. Certainly, though, I did not think that any of the claims could be labelled as a mere “consuelo”. The review of accomplishments was the set-up to rising hopes for an even better second year and rest-of-term for PBBM. Among the priorities he made that resounded with me was a promise to bring electrification to every household in the country by the end of his term in 2028. This seems like a really huge aspiration but one that I think is so basic to any country wanting to elevate itself to a middle income economy. After all, power is an essential driver of production and productivity. Another big message was PBBM’s desire to purge the agricultural sector of smugglers and hoarders who were manipulating the supply chain of basic goods for their personal gain. PBBM’s use of “insiduous” to describe these people (I think in another speech) was too kind. They are, in my mind, the scourge of a nation who must be billed as “public enemies number one”. The suffering they inflict is beyond forgiveness. Finally, I was encouraged again by the focus on increasing investments to the country, promoting job creation and growing infrastructure. This is the backbone of the nation. For the longest time, economic development was tethered to a seemingly endless love affair – for all the right reasons – with the service sector. However, I was really happy to hear the renewed focus on manufacturing and agriculture. I would have preferred a more empowering and inspiring SONA. But I believe that what PBBM delivered made his point well, “…the state of the nation is sound and improving.”. For comment: [vincesocco101@gmail.com](mailto:vincesocco101@gmail.com)