REFLECTION

REFLECTION

I am not a fan of any SONA.  SONA is a selfie and riffraff narrative of every president’s “accomplishments”. I never take SONA seriously before. But this time it has been a feeling of gratification to listen to President “Noynoy” Aquino’s 4th SONA from start to end.

President Aquino’s 4th SONA was unique. His SONA was very comprehensive that covers all the issues that needed to be addressed. President “Noynoy” Aquino not only discussed his accomplishment and legacy—which is common to his entire predecessor, but also gave appreciation to those who deserve and was BRAVE TO NAME NAMES OF THOSE THAT MUST BE CRITICIZED AND BE HUMILIATED in the eyes of 90 million Filipinos.

From the time I understand about the word “CORRUPTION”, the next word I can associate is Bureau of Customs. It is an open secret to all Filipinos that this unit is corrupt. My school mate in college took Bachelor of Science in Customs because “malaki daw ang kitaan”—this is his main reason to take this degree that will be his profession in the near future—and to indulge in corruption? Imagine how deep the root of corruption here. I’m glad that President Noynoy hit them right on their faces.

I  don't agree to all that he sad in SONA, and that's not all neccessary to us to do it. But i like President Aquino’s sweetest line, “Ako po si Noynoy Aquino ipinagmamalaki ko po sa buong mundo na Pilipino ako at talaga namang napakasarap maging Pilipino sa mga panahong ito…”

Ipagmalaki po natin na tayo ay Pilipino. Isapuso po natin ang mga katagang nasyonalismo at pag ibig sa tinubuang bayan.

Tumulong po tayong mag ambag para sa ikakaunlad ng ating bayan. If you cannot do this, and you can’t let yourself part of the solution, at least don’t become part of the problem.

Gutom at Malnutrisyon, sama sama nating wakasan.

"Gutom at Malnutrisyon, sama-sama nating Wakasan."

       "Health is Wealth" Health is very important to every human being so let us take good care of it because if we don't do it we know that our life will be shorten.
       
        In this month of July we are celebrating our Nutrition Month with the theme " Gutom at Malnutrisyon sama-sama natng Wakasan". Anger is the one major problem of our counrty and almost half percent is suffering this problem. Filipinos are now more comfortable in eating non-nutritious food particularly in junk foods. Junk Foods are not good for our health and yet it can cause bad effect for our health. Now that its not yet late let us encourage the people to avoid eating non-nutritious food and take the nutritious one. By this way we can help our country to lessen malnutrition. Hunger and malnutrition are problems that are not easy to avoid or lessen because these are causes of lack of work and money. Our government making ways out its not yet enough. Maybe it will lessen and avoid these problems if all of us will work together to end this.
   
        Nutrition is part of our life. Let us measure of what we do because sometimes we didn't expect that we do is too much already.

SONA

PNoy’s 4th SONA - SONA ng Bayan!

By this time there are many and varied commentaries on PNoy’s 4th SONA. Some never end singing ‘alleluia’ for a SONA well done. Others do notice why all appear good and sunny, except for the three bureaucracies - the Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Immigration and the National Irrigation Administration. Still others believe that the President’s SONA is a genre akin to ‘Alice in Wonderland’.

Some say the reactions to the SONA depend on where one stands.  The allies of the present regime belong to the first type above. They are all praise for the performance of the President. They are ‘BELIEVERS’ and PNoy does make a difference believing that the ‘matuwid na daan’ is a new culture and practice of his government, except for the few recalcitrant but their days are already numbered. The oppositions are ‘unimpressed’ by the SONA.  They belong to the last category above that believes PNoy’s SONA is a recitation of dreams and dreams they remain until they wake up to a stark cruel reality of poverty amid the foisted GDP growth of 7.8%.

I have been asked several times what I think of the President’s SONA.  I may fall in the second category that notices that PNoy’s SONA paints the country with a new coat.  Everything appears good and sunny and as stated earlier except for a few exceptions.  Definitely, there are sunny pictures and he cited them in his SONA. I particularly like the heroism of the three police officers (all rank and file) in the culture of the ‘rub out’, non-performance and corruption in the PNP.  It is refreshing to note that there are good men and women in the rank in what seems to be ‘den of thieves and misfits’.

I never like ‘kilometric’ speeches or homilies.  I will always prefer a clear and straight to the point SONA with a listing of all the strengths and weaknesses and at the same time clearly articulating and identifying the vision and the direction needed to be taken.  The 4th SONA got lost in the details. While details are good but there is always the danger to overdo the enumerations and in the end lose the impact. The 4th SONA just did it!

What is TRUE is the context of the 4th SONA, though NOT stated, clearly serves as the backdrop of the whole event.  The President delivers the 4th SONA in the midst of a very high trust and satisfactory ratings never seen before after three years in the Presidency.  Over two thirds of the population trust him and they are satisfied with his performance as President.  This is truly a PHENOMENAL feat!

What truly matters is not whether the President is competent or not.  What matters is that he can be TRUSTED!  After all, the right competence and skills can be engaged for a prize.  But trust is something EARNED.  The greater numbers of Filipinos believe and trust him.  When he says that there is NO MORE ‘wang wang’ and ‘counter-flow’ in Government, they believe him.  When he articulates the policy of ‘matuwid na daan’ in the government under his watch, the people believe him. And when he says that his economic mantra is ‘inclusive growth’, the people trust him notwithstanding the fact that there has been NO impact or dent in reducing or alleviating poverty in the country amid the ‘much acclaimed’ 40 Billion peso package under DSWD's ‘conditional cash transfer’ program.

The President, no doubt, is a ‘fast talker’.  He is truly a son of Sen.  Benigno Aquino, another real ‘fast talker’.  In the past, there were two speakers that I admired. The first was President Marcos and the second one was his nemesis, the young Senator Benigno Aquino.

In PNoy’s 4th SONA, I can hear once again Ninoy speaking with the same determination to achieve and win.  You are either ‘with me’ and move forward to greater heights for this nation or an ‘obstacle’ that would be bulldozed or level off.  The choice has been reduced to either/or - no in between and no one navigates in two parallel rivers.

Whew! This would be tough for the opposition in government. While the activists in the streets are increasing, what registers in the minds of people are the results of surveys that came out few days before the SONA. Well, with 77% trust rating and 76% performance rating, the President has the Filipino people behind him!

It is for this reason, that the part I like most in the 4th SONA, is when PNoy articulates and enumerates that the 4th SONA is not his alone but the Filipinos’ - kayong magsasaka, kabataan at magaaral, etc. - ito’y inyong SONA’! This portion is the BEST of all. PNoy often repeats that the people are his boss. This time, he empowers the people and telling them that this SONA is equally theirs and together realize the dream not only until the end of his term but beyond.

SONA

PNoy’s 4th SONA - SONA ng Bayan!

By this time there are many and varied commentaries on PNoy’s 4th SONA. Some never end singing ‘alleluia’ for a SONA well done. Others do notice why all appear good and sunny, except for the three bureaucracies - the Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Immigration and the National Irrigation Administration. Still others believe that the President’s SONA is a genre akin to ‘Alice in Wonderland’.

 

Some say the reactions to the SONA depend on where one stands.  The allies of the present regime belong to the first type above. They are all praise for the performance of the President. They are ‘BELIEVERS’ and PNoy does make a difference believing that the ‘matuwid na daan’ is a new culture and practice of his government, except for the few recalcitrant but their days are already numbered. The oppositions are ‘unimpressed’ by the SONA.  They belong to the last category above that believes PNoy’s SONA is a recitation of dreams and dreams they remain until they wake up to a stark cruel reality of poverty amid the foisted GDP growth of 7.8%.

 

I have been asked several times what I think of the President’s SONA.  I may fall in the second category that notices that PNoy’s SONA paints the country with a new coat.  Everything appears good and sunny and as stated earlier except for a few exceptions.  Definitely, there are sunny pictures and he cited them in his SONA. I particularly like the heroism of the three police officers (all rank and file) in the culture of the ‘rub out’, non-performance and corruption in the PNP.  It is refreshing to note that there are good men and women in the rank in what seems to be ‘den of thieves and misfits’.

 

I never like ‘kilometric’ speeches or homilies.  I will always prefer a clear and straight to the point SONA with a listing of all the strengths and weaknesses and at the same time clearly articulating and identifying the vision and the direction needed to be taken.  The 4th SONA got lost in the details. While details are good but there is always the danger to overdo the enumerations and in the end lose the impact. The 4th SONA just did it!

 

What is TRUE is the context of the 4th SONA, though NOT stated, clearly serves as the backdrop of the whole event.  The President delivers the 4th SONA in the midst of a very high trust and satisfactory ratings never seen before after three years in the Presidency.  Over two thirds of the population trust him and they are satisfied with his performance as President.  This is truly a PHENOMENAL feat!

 

What truly matters is not whether the President is competent or not.  What matters is that he can be TRUSTED!  After all, the right competence and skills can be engaged for a prize.  But trust is something EARNED.  The greater numbers of Filipinos believe and trust him.  When he says that there is NO MORE ‘wang wang’ and ‘counter-flow’ in Government, they believe him.  When he articulates the policy of ‘matuwid na daan’ in the government under his watch, the people believe him. And when he says that his economic mantra is ‘inclusive growth’, the people trust him notwithstanding the fact that there has been NO impact or dent in reducing or alleviating poverty in the country amid the ‘much acclaimed’ 40 Billion peso package under DSWD's ‘conditional cash transfer’ program.

 

The President, no doubt, is a ‘fast talker’.  He is truly a son of Sen.  Benigno Aquino, another real ‘fast talker’.  In the past, there were two speakers that I admired. The first was President Marcos and the second one was his nemesis, the young Senator Benigno Aquino.

 

In PNoy’s 4th SONA, I can hear once again Ninoy speaking with the same determination to achieve and win.  You are either ‘with me’ and move forward to greater heights for this nation or an ‘obstacle’ that would be bulldozed or level off.  The choice has been reduced to either/or - no in between and no one navigates in two parallel rivers.

 

Whew! This would be tough for the opposition in government. While the activists in the streets are increasing, what registers in the minds of people are the results of surveys that came out few days before the SONA. Well, with 77% trust rating and 76% performance rating, the President has the Filipino people behind him!

 

It is for this reason, that the part I like most in the 4th SONA, is when PNoy articulates and enumerates that the 4th SONA is not his alone but the Filipinos’ - kayong magsasaka, kabataan at magaaral, etc. - ito’y inyong SONA’! This portion is the BEST of all. PNoy often repeats that the people are his boss. This time, he empowers the people and telling them that this SONA is equally theirs and together realize the dream not only until the end of his term but beyond.