The report on the Pulse Asia survey on people’s perception of the State of the Nation Address (SONA) brings to mind proverbial notions of rhetoric as mere embellishment or concealment of truth, as deception.
The SONA, being a rhetorical act, has often been treated by those who oppose or are critical of the administration as a superfluous verbal activity that is far removed from reality. Manuel Martinez, in his book “A Political History of Our Times: Presidential Policies from Aquino to Ramos to Estrada,” comments that “all SONAs, regardless of which President was mouthing them, by their very nature, have suffered in many parts from banality, turgidity, superfluity and insipidity.”
While it is important to examine and understand whether the rhetoric of the SONA corresponds with the material reality experienced by Filipinos in their everyday struggle, it is also worthy to look into how rhetoric actually constitutes reality. Arguably, the SONA has been used to justify and legitimize (controversial) government policies pursued not only during the years before the annual delivery of the congressional speech but also in the years that come after.
Before the passage of the contested Human Securities Act of 2007, for instance, the president, through her SONAs, had been flagging various articulations that tend to legitimize and rally public support for the passing of the law.
She had, of course, made explicit calls for Congress to pass an anti-terrorism law in her SONAs from 2002 to 2004. But curiously her articulations also include the employment of more sophisticated rhetorical devices, such as the metaphor of “war on terror” as a curative to the “nation’s ills.” Thus we have heard her speak of the “global war on terror” as “a historical watershed” and of ensuring that criminals “of the common kind and the kind that kills in the name of political advocacies.”
Later, we realized through the Alston Report that the war on terror frame had been used to target not just these lumped criminals or “enemies of the state,” but even members of legal organizations, journalists, and human rights advocates that the military considered as fronts of the armed rebels.
Whether we listen to it delivered from the presidential podium via television, radio or the Internet or read its full text published in major dailies or on the web, the SONA – including the metaphors and frames it privileges – will find its way in other contexts and domains as it has been strategically designed to carry sound-bites ready to be embedded or alluded to in journalistic texts, news broadcasts, classroom discussions, political commentaries, and even in everyday small talks or conversations.
More importantly, the speech carries passages apportioned to be re-contextualized or reformulated into more “authoritative, non-negotiable materialities” like the Human Securities Act and other statutes.
A considerable number of people may not be aware of the SONA (the report on the recent Pulse Asia survey indicates that 40% of the respondents are not aware of the past editions of the congressional speech), and a considerable number of those who do may find it untruthful, but these facts do not erase nor reduce the truth that the SONAs like all policy speeches are implicated in our socio-political reality.
Politics, according to rhetoric scholar Bruce Gronbeck, can be understood as a symbolic action and this demands that we analyze systematically the discourses of political ideology and valuation, of political visions and the places citizens occupy in such visions; of the means by which self-interests are converted into communal interests – into public policies.
It may be, therefore, helpful for us to regard the SONA – including the spectacle that comes with it – with our critical minds. And it may do us well if we listen to it carefully, study it, write about it, and perhaps, investigate, challenge or negotiate the representations it offers us before they get reformulated by our legislators into authoritative texts and become non-negotiable.
Gene Navera, Singapore (via e-mail)
24 Feedbacks on "SONA: rhetorics or socio-political reality?"
RLTJ
From where I stand she’s of course pamatay oras lang. But who is not a waste of time?
She is the most unpopular President the nation ever had. But then again who among her immediate successors are better?
Lets hear everyone of those interested to be the next President talk, say how the flight of Filipino workers could be ended… Issues… What everyone has got, instead of criticism without offering solutions.
De los Reyes
SONA, THE STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT, AS SEEN BY BELIEVERS AND SKEPTICS
By tradition, the Sona is delivered by the President every year to signal the opening of Congress. It is supposed to be a general situation report by the President on the economic and political condition of the nation which reflects the accomplishments of the government in the preceding year. More than a report to the people, it is supposed to be a report intended for members of Congress, the Senate and the Judiciary, sort of a progress report, to inform them of the accomplishments of the Executive and what supplementary legislation and judicial action may be needed to attain their joint objectives for the coming year.
Is the SONA credible? It all boils down to one’s political orientation, whether he or she is pro or anti administration, to accept or not its credibility. But to be fair, the SONA should be credible enough since the specific accomplishments it will describe can be easily verified. What can put it to ridicule is if certain aspects of what was promised in the previous SONA failed to be done. For the believers, the failure will be attributed to something beyond the control of the administration or circumstances beyond reasonable expectations. To the skeptics, however, who are generally anti-admin, no amount of excuses will do and no explanations are needed.
SONA is credible insofar as specifics of accomplishments are concerned but does it represent the true state of affairs of the nation? No it does not. The true state of the nation should also dwell on the prevailing negative and apathetic mood of the people towards the government as revealed in public surveys and how this can be dispelled and rectified. People expect to know why the government failed to deliver on those promises considered of great import to them. Also, people take serious concerns on controversial issues over allegations of corruption in government as well as in the administration of justice as a whole. There are burning issues that confront and befuddle the nation for so long and these must be answered not ignored. Unless these issues are addressed in the SONA, the report of the President will be taken as nothing more than self-praise and window dressing. As that famous American football coach John Madden once said, “Self-praise is for losers. Always have class and be humble.”
Missy
SONA: rhetorics or socio-political realities? by Gene Navera
===
Such a treatise, so well written, well expounded! As I was reading Gene’s rhetor….errr essay, I felt like I was sitting in a classroom of one of the best universities anywhere with brilliant professor, but. Would it not be nice if Juan de la Cruz can join in this quality discussion and understand what are being said? But sadly, they fall upon too few readers because they are said in English, when the intended learners are Pinoys. The Filipinos are like babes decerted and orphaned by their mothers who left them behind to gather the mighty dollars.
abe
Arroyo SONA…a nonsense, just a full of lies and deception.
jun ogara
“SONA: rhetorics or socio-political realities? by Gene Navera”
This kind of writing and thinking is beyond an ordinary mind which even an average college student find it hard to grasp with excerpt quotes from analytical and critical thinkers.
But for the sake of discussion and clarity, SONA is not what we call a police lingo of sona.
Meaning, to secure, conquer and apprehend the criminal.
But by analogy to GMA, it might be.
To conquer not the criminals but the honorable and distinguished senators and congressmen.
The thought, the wisdom, the idea, the philosophical assessment of the writer is articulated on how the SONA perceived past and beyond.
Writer’s analytical opinion’s script is just like European renaissance that gave birth to Shakespeareans writing.
Beautiful mind indeed….
For me… SONA as State of the Nation Address is just a Report Card of the President on how she fared on her performance last year and plan for next year or in accountant’s lingo Fiscal year report.
Compared to my son’s academic report card in high school, I give the president a B+ or 85 to 90% performance rate.
Excellent job Mrs.President.
Nelson
ito lang ang pagpipilian natin:
Cory Aquino popular president pero ano ang nagawa niya ….. ito ang malaking pagkakamali nang pinoy dahil nagtiwala TAYO SA TAONG WALANG EXPERIENCE - sa pag apply lang ng trabaho experience na ang kailangan sa pag kapresidente paba.
Erap … popular prisedent sa masa… pero ano ang nagawa niya hangang ngayun yung kaso nina Dacer at iba pa wala paring nangyayari.
GMA … un popular pero kahit papano na control ang budget .. ang problima lang minalas dahil sa presyo ng oil sa world market. malas lang natin na karamihan ay OFW dahil nalogi tayo sa pag appreciate ng peso.
Siguro naman(lahat tayo dito ay proffessionals) at alam natin ang nagyayari sa ating bayan. Wag na nating hayaan na hilahin pababa ang presidente… iyan din ang malaking problima natin especially sa trabaho natin particularly sa ibang bansa dahil tayo ring pinoy ang nag papabagsak sa kalahi natin.. I been working in the middle east / africa for more than 20 years at yan ang nakita kung problima…
Sanay sa darating na bototahan wag na tayung pauto pa… tinganan at tanungin ang programa ng presendentiable… pag magkakamali oli tayo… kawawa ang bayan at ang susunod na henerasyon.
Nardo Bernardo
To me the SONA is just another appearance of a clown on TV. Look at the Philippine economy…millions of hungry people…look at the environment…so filthy air, water and solid wastes! I bet the clown wont tell about her trip to the USA with the 59 congressmen who spent money of the Filipino people. Look at the corruptions in the country they’re horrible and unbelievable! It’s sad to note that government officials have no values in serving the Filipino people. Can you imagine an MMDA traffic enforcer accepting P40.00 for his coffee? The Palace is really full of clowns.
Isko
“Is the SONA credible? It all boils down to one’s political orientation, whether he or she is pro or anti administration, to accept or not its credibility.”
——————————-
It is very clear what is SONA all about. It is the state of the nation and its credibility lies not on one’ political orientation.
The validity of the address can be tested against reality. One need not be a schooled to know if SONA, indeed, reflects on what is happening around us.
There is no substitute to the pain of a growling stomach in determining a true state of the nation. Whether you are pro or anti, it doesn’t matter. Once you feel the hardship, once you complained unto yourself the high cost of living, once you grumble that your take home pay cannot take you home anymore, once you failed to eat three times a day or had a decent meal, you are facing reality.
Will SONA, as it should be the state of the nation, reflect on this truth?
If not, they might as well change the state of the nation address into what the occasion really calls for - the opening of the new Congress. It would be simple and better.
Primer C. Pagunuran
The President’s SONA
The State of the Nation Address, a yearly tradition where the president delivers her speech before the joint session of Congress and Senate, is always attended to with a sense of Marxist dialectics.
Offhand, it divides a wedge between apparently only two classes of people – the psychopants and the militants, if we go by extremely reductionist drift.
At no time of the year is the dynamics of democracy more graphically demonstrated than when a thick mob of protesters is blocked by thick rows of anti-riot police and military troops and any number of 10-wheeler container vans, fire trucks, military 6 x 6 army vehicles, and APCs are placed across all possible entry roads. Red flags, pennants, and effigies and the skilled political agitators in clenched fists drown patronizing activists and international media observers to their piercing oratories.
Thus, Sona, viewed from within and beyond, mirrors two conflicting scenarios. PGMA does a one-woman show to make official the final draft of her long-consulted presidential speech. At the other end, a mob – and their vocal icons – speaks their minds on the true state of the nation before a demagogue. Thus, society writ large can see two sides of the coin and it is apt for them to judge which version to choose.
President’s sona ought not to be a difficult task altogether. It is easy enough to defend some pro-poor programs that are visible at ground level. Who will forget the food for children program, the one-time P500 refund on electric bill, the cheap NFA rice in designated outlets, the land titles to identified beneficiaries rationalized by presidential proclamations, those checks to families-victim of the sea mishap and other disasters?
No wonder, Malacanang, Inc. – under the skilled care of its spin doctors – is just like any other photo studio outlet. Tri-media takes care of the final cosmetic touch with their editors, broadcasters, and writers placed in secret payroll from Arlegui. In other words, on special events, PGMA can be portrayed in the kindest way possible to her heart’s content.
Even the latest findings of social weather or poll circuits such as the Social Weather Station, Pulse Asia and the like few days or weeks before Sona are entirely tinkerable, if there be a word. However bad, in very real terms, the latest findings of PGMA’s performance and trust ratings have become for the July 1 to 14, 2008 survey by Pulse Asia, still, if compared to that of last year, nothing is really rotten anywhere. Is that statistical trick or what? Such words as – “do not differ significantly” in the context of 2007 and 2008 comparison are really tricks in the book by push-polling circuits.
Funny, but even if we say that one of every two thinks that PGMA’s performance and trust ratings are poor, the analysis as would be given by the president’s advisers will cut across the grain to say – it is not that bad, in the end. Even if the statistical data already tells us that 48% disapproves of PGMA and that 53% distrusts her – this disapproval and distrust ratings – can still be (mis)interpreted in the best of light such as saying that in Visayas, except Mindanao and Luzon, a 30% approval is registered. In other words, in matters political – “beauty is in the eyes of the beholder” – that the defense secretary is heard to have said it is pointless to boycott the sona without knowing it.
PGMA has been president long enough in a tricky two-term scenario. On the scoreboard, the more official is the one from Malacanang or is this why there had been at least 20 drafts before the final sona is completed? The military, defense, and police establishment – being all-out on her side – serves as an insurance company that she will finish her term up until 2010. What with upcoming promotions for colonels and generals?
When sonas seem to resolve issues as to why many Filipinos today experience hunger, as to why the price of oil follows a near spiral, why the number of poor provinces or towns were never reduced in spite of fatty pork barrels, then something is wrong in this country. Effigies, grafitti, militant voices – all will be drowned in oblivion with a government vest with so much political power
There will be nothing new about the sona that people do not already know at ground level. As an old year has passed, a new one has begun. PGMA simply makes a grocery-list of what she has delivered so far and a new grocery-list of what she intends to deliver this year after her speech.
De los Reyes
Isko says, “It is very clear what is SONA all about. It is the state of the nation and its credibility lies not on one’s political orientation.”
—–
Of course everybody knows what the Sona is all about just as every one knows it also comes in different shapes and shades. Like grilling steak, it can be well done or over done. Usually it is over done, even dressed up with heavy trimmings with red wine on the side to make it look good. But does it taste good? The Sona is supposed to reflect the true state of affairs of the nation. While it summarizes the accomplishments of the administration of its objectives over the past year and paints the failures heavily with positively reasonable explanations but it leaves out and does not say anything about the state of the affairs of the scandals and allegations of corruption in high places that have shaken the very foundation of the govt. This too contribute to the state of the nation today.
How people will react to the Sona favorably or unfavorably will depend on one’s political orientation. To the pro-admin a dismal report will be accepted with understanding. To the anti-admin no amount of explanation will do. Get my drift?
Isko
“How people will react to the Sona favorably or unfavorably will depend on one’s political orientation. To the pro-admin a dismal report will be accepted with understanding. To the anti-admin no amount of explanation will do. Get my drift?”
——————
Again, to enlighten you Mr. Delos Reyes.
Just ask the balut or the sidewalk vendors. Ask the multitudes of peasants, farmworkers, and laborers. They care less about politics but much about the food on their table. Majority of them do not have political orientation and yet, tell them what Arroyo talked about in SONA, they will reject it with disdain.
Why? It is not because they are anti-Gloria (they don’t even give a damn who the president is) but simply because of the reality of poverty which the government would not even acknowledge.
To say that people’s reaction will depend on one’s political orientation is simplistic and bereft of understanding of the broad society. The ignorance, in this respect, of the country’s political economy is undeniable.
In the first place, SONA or not, the government will earn the ire of the people because of their abject economic condition and not due to political orientation. SONA is only a small reflection of this sad situation.
Looking back on our colorful history, the first pocket rebellion in the colonial era was not brought about by their political orientation but by economic hardship.
The same thing is happening now. People are rejecting the SONA not simply because they are anti-administration. In fact, they are rejecting not only the SONA but the Arroyo government itself because of its failure to uplift the people even before the rice-oil whammy set in. People reject the SONA not simply because they are against the government but because many SONAs had pass and their lives did not improve at all.
In the final analysis, it is the economic reason that drives people to go for or against the establishment and not their political orientation.
Remember, more than the SONA, Arroyo herself was soundingly rejected in the SWS survey conducted in the different sectors of our society. Only a simpleton would now say they are all anti-Gloria.
Allan
The presidency is not a popularity contest. They are not running a movie industry, this is real life, no cut, no retakes.
Just like what Nelson have said, the most popular presidents we had before are the ones that brought the nation down to the drain. Remember Corys, galungong, that jumps from P40/kilo to almost P90/kilo during her term. And Erap, I dont need to elaborate on this, we all know what happened.
The problem with these surveys, they’re so politicized, just like a corrupt reporter blackmailing a corrupt politician.
What we have now is a Presidency that’s under siege and being blackmailed by more corrupt politicians and civil society organizations run by the rich and scorned ex-govt officials. The bad thing is, they are using the stupidity of the Filipinos for their own self interest.
Gloria is not a god that can put food in your tables in just a wink of her eye. Why complain of high oil prices, when we don’t support oil exploration and mining. What befall us is our own making, so stop whining, move on with your life, work hard, save a lot and stop thinking Gloria is your mother because she isn’t.
De los Reyes
NEWS: ROXAS, ESCUDERO DISMAYED OVER ARROYO’S DEFENSE OF VAT
Roxas and Escudero prefer the populist stand to remove the VAT. They helped pass the VAT for reasons that it would help reform the tax system and provide funds to square off the national budget and stop deficit spendng. Now they want it out. Why? Because they want to win over the people’s support since they are running for the highest office in 2010. How the government will replace the much needed funds is the least of their concerns. They will say/do anything that caters to public acceptance in order to win support in 2010.
This government is practically bankrupt. Without the VAT where will it get the resources to import and subsidize much needed rice and foodstuff, pay maturing foreign debts, provide direct financial assistance to the poor, supplement funding for infrastructures, maintain the stability of the financial market particularly the forex, etc. Remove the VAT and in no time this government will be hard put in feeding the hungry poor which will surely precipitate further hardships that may possibly lead to this government’s downfall. GMA is more clever than fall into this trap. Being more unpopular in this aspect is better than be driven out of Malacanang by an angry hungry mob.
De los Reyes
Thanks for your rebuttal, Isko, if I may call you that.
You still miss the point. You are referring to the apolitical and disillusionned group or the silent majority which is not the subject of my contention. My reference is the two politically oriented very vocal groups, one who supports GMA and will believe everything in the Sona even heap praises on it; the other the skeptic non-believer who will never believe anything GMA says even if it’s just the time or day.
Gene Navera
There is something contentious about the thesis that the SONA should reflect the truth about the national situation. Reports, assessments, and public addresses – like any type of literature, fiction or nonfiction – are representations. They do not necessarily mirror reality. Being language-based, they, in fact, tend to distort reality. They are re-contextualizations; hence, they can never be purely objective accounts of “what is there.”
It’s good enough that there are counter SONA’s – alternative narratives on the national situation from militant groups, the FGSO, and the opposition at large – or editorials like that of today’s issue. To a large extent, they aid us in re-examining “facts” and “evidences” laid out in the much publicized presidential speech.
Perhaps, what we could also look into when dealing with this “annual report” is how it construes/imagines reality for us. How does it attempt to constitute our past and our present? How does it intend to constitute the future? Examining its rhetoric more or less gives us significant cues on what will most likely happen or which measures will be prioritized in our policy shops.
To the admin: Kindly add the line “feel the “full brunt of the arsenal of democracy”” to the final sentence in paragraph 5. I must have missed it when I sent this article by email. Thanks.
Paragraph 5: “…and of ensuring that criminals “of the common kind and the kind that kills in the name of political advocacies” feel the “full brunt of the arsenal of democracy.””
K.B. Laurienne
Opinion from Abroad on SONA:
With all due respect, upon review of the SONA address by the current leadership, I have some thoughts to share regarding some excerpts from her speech. As with any speech from most any dignitary from anywhere in the world, there are some areas of opportunity, albeit there is not a nation in the world without her own distinctive problems. What I fail to understand is that when a government is presented with an issue that CAN be resolved, they sometimes fail to react. Arroyo states that her “responsibility as President is to take care to solve the problems we are facing now…” I have to say that although I disagree with many aspects of the Bush Administration in recent years, a capsized ship full of bodies and chemicals would NEVER, NEVER, NEVER be sitting stagnant in our waters a month or more after a disaster while corporations and government agencies banter back and forth over who is at fault and who is financing what. Arroyo also makes a brilliant yet seemingly empty statement, “Leadership is not about doing the first easy thing that comes to mind; it is about doing what is necessary, however hard.” Nobody, in the case of the MV Princess of the Stars tragedy is “doing what is necessary, however hard”, definitely not the “Leader”. The victim’s loved ones and the surrounding communities continue to suffer while Sulpicio Lines plays the blame game, and nobody steps in for the people, be it family members waiting for closure or the people impacted by the fishing ban in the region.
Another very disturbing quote in the address is the statement “Where government can contribute nothing useful, stay away. Let’s be more helpful, more courteous, more quick.” The U.S. sent help, and it was declined. We sent the closest ship we had in the region, yet the U.S.S. Reagan was kept at bay because of it’s nuclear capacity. Never mind the helicopter support, engineering capabilities, sonar, cranes, etc. “Courteous” and “quick” have certainly not come into play in this particular crisis. Unfortunately, there is a family of U.S. citizens somewhere in this mess, and ironically our own countrymen weren’t able to assist.
Finally, when I read “As your President, I care too much about this nation to let anyone stand in the way of our people’s well being.” Quid pro quo, the big shipping guru has been allowed to stand right there in the way, and although based on observation and fact should NEVER be in the business of transporting people again, or cargo for that matter since they are incapable of doing either responsibly. Just to show that I am not just an observer without corrective suggestion: a salvage company should have been brought in the next day to begin dismantling portions of the ship’s protruding hull, then sorted out and the recovery (at the time it is likely it could have been partly a rescue) process refined from that point.
This is an enormous travesty of justice to the victims and their families, and a blatant disregard for human life in general. For the government not to intervene and prolong the agony, makes this irreprehensible. This is a problem that could have been already on the road to recovery, unfortunately these decisions are all conveniently being left up to Sulpicio, who is doing NOTHING.
Pardon the expression, but Arroyo is “missing the boat” on this one as an opportunity has gone by in which to really make a difference in hundreds of lives, however small such an act may seem in the grand scale of a nation.
Missy
For me… SONA as State of the Nation Address is just a Report Card of the President on how she fared on her performance last year and plan for next year or in accountant’s lingo Fiscal year report.
Compared to my son’s academic report card in high school, I give the president a B+ or 85 to 90% performance rate.
Excellent job Mrs.President.
—-
I do not consider the speech by Gloria a valid assessment of how she did, how she is doing and planning of doing. It is another speech like a commercial, to sell what she is not and to fool the people again and again. All the years that she has been occupying that Malacanang, she has not cleared herself of the allegation that she got into that position by cheating. She is a big cheat, seconded or maybe at par with Bush Jr. of the USA. God may have mercy on us for condoning a liar as a leader.
maria makiling
Abe, pareho tayo ng pananaw…
Arroyo SONA…a nonsense, just a full of lies and deception.
malacanang mafia and arroyo corrupt-poration is the culprit of the real state of the nation…kahirapan, kagutuman, paglabag sa karapatang pangtao, malawakang koruption at pagkasira sa mga institusyon na sanas haligi ng mamamayang pilipino.
just a full of lies and deception.
Harry King
The Social Weather Station claims that their poll surveys using “net satisfaction ratings” have a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3 percentage points.
If in determination of the number of “dissatisfied” Filipinos there is a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3 percentage points and, likewise, in the determination of the number of “satisfied” Filipinos there is another margin of error of plus-or-minus 3 percentage points; can the SWS claim that their survey is accurate to within 3 percentage points? Or should the margin of error be plus-or-minus 6 percentage points?
Harry King
Social Weather Station uses “net satisfaction rating” in their surveys.
NSR is used primarily to rate customers satisfaction and is not used in polls and surveys on the performance of a president or the government. The lowest rating is always “zero” rating, negative rating has no real meaning at all. The NSR rating is computed by subtracting the number of “dissatisfied” Filipinos from “satisfied” Filipinos.
As an example, if there are 26 “dissatisfied” Filipinos against 25 “satisfied” Filipinos with 49 “no comment” Filipinos, the survey will still report a negative rating; therefore, how reliable is the survey when the fact is there are only 26 “dissatisfied” Filipinos with an error margin of plus-or-minus 3 percent? This kind of surveys only serve the purpose of creating an impact that the president is “rated” NEGATIVE.
Net Satisfaction Rating is a “cheap”commercial gimmick to create a false image that a certain product has a negative rating. The readers and audience should disregard all kinds of survey unless information on:
1. How were the 1200 Filipinos selected?
2. What was the basis for their distribution?
3. What were the questions asked?
4. How were the questions worded?
5. In what manner were the questions asked or presented, etc.
In short, information on the design of the survey must be disclosed together with the survey upon presenting to the public.
RLTJ
GMA’s last SONA was one I really took interest to hear. Just for reason that maybe I could pick up something to write about in my blog as I am in fact new in blogging.
Notable changes from some that I’ve listened before, this time she was reporting about achievements instead of great things she wished to do. (Programs not substantiated with things concrete and known effective are wishful thinking)
If 70/100 is passing grade I guess this is the reason why Filipinos gave her a failure grade. She was reporting about the 30/100, or less, I guess. Rice indeed was P32.00/kg. (P32.00 to P52.00/kg actually)
Text at P0.50 looks to be more of incidental. This is hard times for Filipinos. Fewer people have extra squeezed for cellphone loads. 40 text for P20.00 load is better to the telecoms, than 20 text for P20.00 sa panahong walang pambili ang masa. Appears to be promo to encourage people to buy prepaid cards, sona or no sona.
But I am most interested in what those who want GMA out kon ano ang magawa nila, kaysa ingay na ingay wala namang klarong programa na inilahad para makita ng lahat.
People don’t jump in murky waters.
Isko
De los Reyes Says:
July 29th, 2008 at 8:52 am
“You still miss the point. You are referring to the apolitical and disillusionned group or the silent majority which is not the subject of my contention.”
—————
Really? You are contradicting yourself now, my dear. Better read again what you wrote. Besides, my posit is clear: it is the individual’s economic situation (which affects everyone; whether pro or anti) that drives a man’s political viewpoint.
“My reference is the two politically oriented very vocal groups, one who supports GMA and will believe everything in the Sona even heap praises on it; the other the skeptic non-believer who will never believe anything GMA says even if it’s just the time or day.”
——————————-
Well, of course. This is very elementary Mr. De Los Reyes. This is pure common sense and need not be elaborated upon.
As I see it, we are speaking on a different level since what I wrote is beyond your limited intellectual understanding of political economy and its implication in today’s crises.
Thank you and God bless.
Missy
18
maria makiling Says:
July 30th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Abe, pareho tayo ng pananaw…
Arroyo SONA…a nonsense, just a full of lies and deception.
malacanang mafia and arroyo corrupt-poration is the culprit of the real state of the nation…kahirapan, kagutuman, paglabag sa karapatang pangtao, malawakang koruption at pagkasira sa mga institusyon na sanas haligi ng mamamayang pilipino.
just a full of lies and deception.
Hi, Maria Makiling….Ask the ones who are busog and enjoying their bliss under Gloria’s regime. They will not agree with you.
Tony
Hi Missy, Mariang Makiling is right. GMA has a mouth of universal liar because she was the daughter of Emilio Aguinaldo, our Philippine Traitor who sold us to the American when he hold title bought by Dr. Jose Rizal to Spain and Eva Macaraeg. How could she won support to our people she wouldn’t make a decision to implement her projects without the presence of the money being held by HM, King Anthony S. Martin. She waited HM, King Anthony S. Martin in Hagonoy, Bulacan be captured by some of his allies in the Bulacan Reservist of the Armed Forces of the Philippines because she promised them to award USD 500 Trillion in exchange of King Anthony. This is the Valid Information we gathered from our team in the palace.
Please Leave a Comment!