FINDING ANSWERS
Right from the beginning of his State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. connected with the Filipino people with a very realistic statement.
“Whatever current data proudly bannering our country as among the best-performing in Asia means nothing to a Filipino who is confronted by the price of rice at ₱45 to ₱65 per kilo.
“Bagamat maganda ang mga istatistikang ito, wala itong kabuluhan sa ating kababayan na hinaharap ang realidad na mataas ang presyo ng mga bilihin, lalo na ang pagkain — lalo’t higit, ng bigas… alam kong damang-dama ninyo ito. Hindi natin winawalang-bahala ang inyong mga hinaing at hirap na dinaranas (Although these statistics are nice, these are meaningless to our people who face the reality of high prices of food — especially rice… I know how you feel. We are not callous to the struggles you face),” he said.
It was in that instance that Mr. Marcos appeared very credible, showed he was not insensitive to the plight of suffering Filipinos, and made the audience feel assured that he knows what to do and what needs to be done shall be done.
Effective public speakers know that establishing credibility – if the main intent of the speech is to inform – and sustaining the undivided attention of the audience – especially if the intent is not to entertain – are among the awesome challenges one faces when speaking in front of a crowd.
At the start, the audience is always inevitably glued to what the speaker has to say and how he says it. Those watching could continue listening intently, or may lose interest when they feel the speaker is no longer credible, or is unable to abide by the basic rules of public speaking that make audiences glued. The undivided attention could be lost in an instant.
But not so with Mr. Marcos in last week’s SONA. His effective performance in political communication stood out, compared to the previous ones since he was catapulted to the pinnacle of power. His speaking cadence – the rhythmic flow of speech with the speed, pauses, and emphasis given to words – was certainly dynamic in tempo to engage viewers and drive home key points.
It was a prime example of how the impact of the message and messenger fused. It had the essence of great speeches with the ability to convey a message, not only with words, but through the fusion of the character of speaker and message.
And the SONA imbued sincerity, especially when Mr. Marcos seemed most emotional when stressing how the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone belonged to us to harness and exploit. He appeared teary-eyed as he thanked the AFP, Coast Guard, and fisherfolks for their vigilance and sacrifices in the West Philippine Sea.
His speech not only articulated his administration’s accomplishments and plans for the future, but also resonated with various sectors of Philippine society. Though some may find the 81-minute speech quite long, it managed to earn not only multiple rounds of applause but also three standing ovations – on the total ban of POGOs, the current drug war deemed bloodless compared to the previous one, and the WPS issue.
But there were his other pronouncements that, although they have not merited a standing ovation, are nevertheless as essential. And one of these is close to my heart, me being national project chairman of the Children’s First One Thousand Days Coalition.
More than the earth-shaking immediate ban on POGOs and the other pronouncements that led to standing ovations, it is the SONA’s emphasis on the health and nutrition needs of very young Filipinos, particularly children zero to two years old, that will have far-reaching effects.
“As part of our recalibrated health approach toward prevention and healthy habits, we are prioritizing vaccinations, nutrition, mental well-being, and active and healthy lifestyles. Tuloy-tuloy ang ating paghahabol sa pagbabakuna ng mga sanggol at ng mga bata… (We are accelerating vaccinations for babies and children),” the President said.
“At tuloy na tuloy din ang (and to also continue is the) Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition… The recently launched “Walang Gutom 2027” will now be fully rolled out from the initial 2,300 households, now all the way to 300,000 food-poor households across the country by the end of this year. But the program will go on until we feed the one million most food-poor families by 2027,” he added.
“An important component of our strategies to address malnutrition shall be the program for the ‘First One Thousand Days’ or the first two years of a child’s life. To ensure the health and nutrition of children zero to two years old from the poorest families, we have proposed in the 2025 Budget a new grant under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program for this purpose,” Mr. Marcos said.
His pronouncement will certainly go a long way in the current efforts of government and the private sector to realize the intent of RA 11148 or the Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Magnanay Act. Such message in the SONA is very inspiring amid UNICEF findings that 95 Filipino children die each day from malnutrition, 27 of every 1,000 kids don’t get past their fifth birthday, one-third of our children are stunted, and stunting after age two can be permanent, irreversible and even fatal. ([email protected])