as seen on tv
74 years of SONA
It’s that time of the year when presidents face the people to give their take on the nation’s state. The people’s eyes will be opened to realities around them, through a speech that enables the incumbent president to paint a picture of the country’s current social, economic and political life. Every Philippine president had delivered a SONA in the last 74 years.
During the SONA a president gives performance benchmarks and makes public, his strategies to achieve his envisioned goals. It is a very critical point of any chief executive’s career. He makes a promise – which, if unfulfilled – will scar his reputation forever.
I think the SONA contributes much as to why in the end most presidents become unpopular. Recent presidents Ferdinand Marcos, Cory Aquino, Fidel Ramos, Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo were scored by their constituents based on their success or failure in delivering their SONA-induced promises.
Most of these speeches are kilometric and strongly-worded. The president takes absolute accountability for his actions and failure to “walk the talk” would have dire consequences. In the recent past, Joseph Estrada said in one SONA that he will have none of corruption and patronage politics in his reign.
“Walang kaibigan, walang kamag-anak…” Estrada said so firmly, only to succumb to munching his own words by committing the very nepotistic and corrupt practices he had vowed to disembowel government of, leading to the untimely demise of his rule.
And there are presidents who have promised the consuming task of exterminating poverty and corruption, in almost immeasurably purist terms. Anti- corruption and poverty alleviation are recurring themes in presidential speeches dating back in the 60’s when Diosdado Macapagal vowed to ease growing corruption in government. Ferdinand Marcos whose pitch in the 70’s for a new society (Bagong Lipunan) teemed with peace, progress and efficient government service.
Gloria Arroyo’s famous theatrics during her one too many SONA often backfired due to promises that were often undelivered. No amount of paper boats, Powerpoint presentations, and three dimensional renditions of her accomplishments doused the reality that very little has been achieved in fighting corruption, which characterized her administration.
Corazon Aquino’s SONA were promises woven in prose, baring her leanings and flair in literature. But big words as with lofty visions often went unappreciated by short-sighted constituents resulting in widespread disconnect. Her successor, Fidel Ramos, on the other hand addressed the nation like a general would before marching to war. While his objectives were clear as day, Filipinos missed the melodrama in FVR speeches lacking quotable quotes. He also failed to solve many problems he had vowed to work on.
I yet have to hear a straightforward SONA, devoid of abstract ideas, empty promises, symbolisms and misplaced self-praises. SONAS are spoken vows by which every president is judged hence every word he says is deemed sacred. An entire speech may just take days or hours to prepare but it oftentimes takes more than just a six-year term to deliver what a president had read so eloquently and convincingly from the prompter.
The worst thing that could ever happen to a president and his SONA is when he conveys the well-written oration and not mean a word of it.
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Year 2010 marks the 74th anniversary of the State of the Nation Address as we know it. The very first SONA was delivered by Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon in 1936, although as early 1897, the country’s leaders delivered their versions of SONA.
Andres Bonifacio was the first to deliver a formal speech on the nation’s state in the context of the revolution. Aptly called “State of the Katipunan Address” (SOKA), Bonifacio spoke about the advances of the revolution before the Tejeros Convention on March 22, 1897.
About a year later, President Emilio Aguinaldo delivered his own “State of the Revolutionary Nation Address” (SORNA) before the Malolos Congress.
During the American occupation, there was the “State of the Philippine Islands Address” (SOPIA) delivered by William Howard Taft before the Philippine Assembly. Taft spoke in behalf of President Theodore Roosevelt.
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Today, brand new President Benigno Aquino is addressing the nation for the first time. He is expected to rave about his weeks-old achievements such as the battle versus “wang wang” and counter flowing – the visible symbols of abuse of power. Maybe he would talk about work in progress, such as cabinet selection, among other things.
His spokespeople also hinted more corrupt practices in the government which were recently uncovered and scheduled to be exposed. These SONA bomb shells will carry the theme – corruption, anent to the president’s campaign pitch which is fighting poverty by easing corruption. I hope this time (with campaign over) the new administration will have an unambiguous, more sensible strategy to win over corruption, woven into a well-written SONA.
Be that as it may, I reserve judgment in six years.
