The fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. last July 27 was, notably, exactly calculated to please and placate.
Amid a turbulent political situation, a tanking economy, and a populace veering from hopelessness to anger (nay, rage), Marcos himself has once again offered some reason for hope.
It should be noted that the President has touched on the major issues that surveys have noted concern the Filipino the most: high prices of basic goods and commodities. Dwindling opportunities for employment and livelihood. The continued (and unchecked) greed of business oligarchs and politicians who bleed the country dry.
And yet the promises and hopes that Marcos offered during his penultimate SONA still rings hollow and empty.
The empty promises and false hopes ring hollow on the facts that:
One, some of the programs and priorities of this administration, such as the revival of nuclear energy and the highly controversial Pax Silica initiative, may cause more harm to our environment, to our sovereignty, and our economy.
Two, while the President has once again touted the major anti-corruption gains of his administration, but nobody believes him but the paid hacks.
The fact remains that most of the perpetrators of the wanton robbery of hundreds of billions in public funds remain free.
It’s clear that former House Speaker Martin Romualdez has been designated as the administration’s official scapegoat, the sacrificial lamb that will clear those who are also behind the billions of pesos lost in corruption.
And while the President, wisely, did not delve on the turbulent political situation and the very survival of his administration, the fact remains that the country is still nearing boiling point.
Marcos’ fifth SONA has not quenched the flames; rather, he has stoked the anger of a very abused country.
It still remains to be seen whether his administration has the balls and the courage to carry through the promises of a better life in its last two years.
But given the dismal performance of the previous four years, what remains clear is that the public is no longer fooled.
#OpinYonLaguna #Editorial #SONA