Mangao, Michael Kevin Edgar B.

4POL2

July 28, 2013

A PROMISING SONA
This years SONA was a remarkable one. Coupled with accomplishments, cautionary
issues, and improvements to the system, the speech by President Benigno Aquino III was
encouraging and vital to build back the morale taken from us, Filipinos, decades ago by various
anomalies within our governmental system. It is never a far-fetched perception, however, that
what the SONA 2013 presented upon us was somehow truly felt by us in the past few months.
Nevertheless, we should never falter our guard: Yes, the institutional changes, focused attention
to the needs of the Filipino people, and all the necessary setbacks for the good of all are there,
but, we should also remain vigilant and help ourselves and the government maintain what we
have built upon and not merely trash everything again when a new administration come. As such,
I have been talking merely on the generalization that the SONA was indeed good but the purpose
of this paper is to present my reaction, both positive and negative, to the very specifics of the
SONA itself.
I praise the fact that CCTs or Conditional Cash Transfers provided by the program
Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program will not only be available to families with Elementary
level children, but also, to families which foster High School students too by the next year. As
told by the World Bank (2011), CCTs are incentive cash payments to certain households that
uphold the necessary requirement to be given such incentive. These cash incentives are paid
directly for childrens healthcare and education though the distribution of these incentives is
most often decided by the National Government (TWB, 2011). The beneficiaries of 4P program
will be determined by surveys conducted by the NSCB or the National Statistical Coordination
Board to identify the poorest of the poor families eligible for the program (UNPAN, 2009). With
a wider scale of Filipino families given the chance of being given this privilege, there is no doubt
that health and educational necessities can be further maximized, and lacking thereof can be
minimized and, hopefully, controlled. Educational attainment today is vital if we yearn to
improve the Philippines into a more modernized society. Illiteracy should at least be eradicated
once a child reaches middle school. If today we move forward, we must make sure to maintain it
by ensuring proper care for the next generation.
Ever since, issues on the lack of chairs and rooms in our public schools have been
identified and eventually addressed. Albeit both the efforts of the governments and the different
NGOs in the country, we are still encountering the same issue even to this day. This years
SONA clearly declared the intention of working on the lack of classrooms issue, and hopefully,
by the end of the year, public students will have one less of a burden in their place of learning.
Our Presidents initiative to address this certain issue looks promising and, surely, we are hopeful
to see the same outcome as what is promised. Although, such statements in the speech bring
good news to public ears since this issue, as said, has plagued our urban and provincial schools
for quite long, I am not satisfied with the statement presented. For one, this issue has been in
prevalence for many years. Merely saying that it can be fixed soon this year is very ambitious
and fosters more of the unlikeliness of such fact. I am not, however, pessimistic in this approach.
I am merely dissatisfied and I find such statements lacking without viable backing that what is
declared can be done. The President may have said that it can be done in the next 2-3 etc. years

and I could have been satisfied. As such, I am still hopeful and I do believe that if not this year or
the next, time will come that such an issue that impedes basic education for children of various
levels in society will, finally, be eradicated.
An update on the on-going division of lots for the Hacienda Luisita beneficiaries was also
told to the public. Our President has said, in simple terms, that this practice has started already in
the past week. Although the portions of lands are still for determination, this I consider a huge
leap. This issue has been going on for years and, as such, the issue itself is detrimental, as what
the media has been saying, to the future and reliability of our President since he, a Cojuanco, is
naturally a part of the issue and much more severe is the 2004 massacre that, as said, depicted
quite a dark picture of the Aquino family (Dychiu, 2010). It is indeed true that our President
might be haunted by the issue and would somehow provide for his demoralization. This move,
then, is already a promise already in the process being granted and informing the public is a very
good move, not only for empathy, but for enriching the faith of the Filipino people to the
government as well. In addition, finally quelling the conflict within the hacienda has promoted
our country to be more peaceful, and less bothered. Such an attainment is a great help in building
the Filipino morale and competency to other nations.
Our President has stated that Phil-Health enrolees have increased from 62% to 81%
(transcript from CoolBuster.com, 2013). It is an important leap toward general Filipino
healthcare. Such a simple statement should not be undermined since it officially declares how
responsible we are as citizens not only aware of caring for ourselves, but for providing for a
much more convenient service in the country as well. Our Presidents frequent updates on PhilHealth enrolee numbers (and in gradually increasing numbers at that) are always a useful chunk
of information for us to be aware of the importance of such a program. It insures our safety and
stability in continuing our work for the improvement of our country, After all, our body is also
our investment. As such, we need not always risk ourselves and our loved ones.
We have been told that our GDP (Gross Domestic Product) has experienced a 7.8%
growth and branded it as the highest growth in our region of Southeast Asia. While I am
thankful to be aware of this, it should also be stressed that such figures do not address the real
status of our nation. Even though our GDP has achieved its highest, it is still not a gauge for our
development. Even if we show high figures based on legit statistics, there is still the image of
poverty on the rail road sides of our capital. Poverty is still here to stay in the Philippines and
illegal settlers are out and about. Simply stating this in the SONA is deceptive to reality and may
incur wrong ideas to other people.
Mindanao has been experiencing power-crisis as of late. This has been addressed in the
SONA, however, our Presidents yearning of additional power plants, albeit a valid point may not
be necessary. We have various natural outlets for electricity within the country and the possibility
of building ourselves a Nuclear power plant (which, in my opinion is very much efficient) is
never far. Instead of planning to build more power plants that occupy more of the tightening
space in this country, why not find more suitable and efficient sources of energy?
Our Presidents SONA has been positively appealing to many. As other SONAs in the
past, it is filled with ambition, promises, and accomplishments and it has the right to be so. A
SONA helps us to be aware and helps us to judge our leaders well. We are indeed lucky we have
such a promising practice in this country.

REFERENCES

Dychiu, S. (2010, January 18). GMA News Special Reports. Retrieved 28 July, 2013,
from GMA News:
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/181877/news/specialreports/haciend
a-luisita-s-past-haunts-noynoy-s-future
N/A. (2009, January 21). UNPAN Project Listings Philippines. Retrieved July 28, 2013,
from United Nations Public Administration Network:
http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/ungc/unpan040549.p
df
N/A. (2011). Safety Nets and Transfers. Retrieved July 28, 2013, from The World
Bank:
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTSOCIALPROTECTION/
EXTSAFETYNETSANDTRANSFERS/0,,contentMDK:20615138~menuPK:282766
~pagePK:148956~piPK:216618~theSitePK:282761,00.html
N/A. (2013, July 22). Cool Buster SONA 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2013, from Cool
Buster: http://www.coolbuster.net/2013/07/english-translation-sona-2013.html