The president’s SONA

The president’s State of the Nation Address was received with political partisanship. Her allies went overboard praising her. Her political enemies said otherwise.

I look at all SONAs as an exercise in rhetoric. Take this one, “From where I sit, I can tell you, a President is always as strong as she wants to be.” I fully agree. Although I know strong leaders do not say they are strong. They just act strong.

I want President Arroyo to be a strong President. I have always said that. Although, may I remind her what Sir Galahad said, “My strength is as the strength of ten because my heart is pure.”

We need a strong leader who knows what she wants, can get what she wants and, if there are shortcuts, with proper rhetoric can do it with finesse. John F. Kennedy and George W. Bush invaded countries and made these countries with the right rhetoric, grateful to them for invading them.

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The Gordian Knot was a challenge to leaders by the Oracle at Delphi. The one who could untie the Knot would become a great leader.

Alexander, son of King Philip II of Macedon, heard of it and tried his luck. He pulled out his sword, swung at it with the full force of his strength and cut the knot into two. He untied the Gordian Knot through a shortcut or whatever you want to call it that made Alexander the Great, conquering wider lands in Europe and Asia and the whole Persian Empire, reaching as far as India and Afghanistan.

But he died at the age of 33 in 133 B.C. The great tragedy was, this Great Warrior was killed by a mosquito, through what could be malaria or dengue.

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All our presidents never achieved all of what they promised. The SONA, or whatever you call it, is just a road map. If GMA can become a strong president as she vowed to be, and with her strength, solve insurgency and graft and corruption, history will be very kind to her, past faults notwithstanding.

The best legacy will be peace and government funds not stolen, which are within the reach of a President who is determined to do it.

If I were to recall from an unreliable memory, no President ever achieved his program 100 percent, because of a short term. At that time there was no SONA. Presidents delivered their inaugural address at the Luneta outlining their programs of administration.

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Now, it will be costly to do it, trucking all those from the provinces to fill up the Luneta and giving them pocket money. And no one can be sure if they will clap at the proper signal.

Presidents now do it before joint sessions of Congress and call the speeches the State of the Nation Address with a captive audience of local officials, their trips to Manila paid for with pocket money as has been the tradition.

What were the SONAs of past presidents?

Correct me if I am wrong. I limit my recollection early from President Ramon Magsaysay who was inaugurated when I was in college.

The theme of his inaugural address in 1954 was “Let those who have less in life have more in law.” He spoke of social justice.

Then he added, “I want that in my administration, everybody will have a roof over his head, a shirt on his back, and food in his stomach.” He pursued these until he died three years later in a plane crash in Cebu. Very simple like Magsaysay.

Carlos P. Garcia spoke of nationalization and pushed for his “Filipino First Policy.” He worked for the nationalization of the retail trade. There was no globalization then.

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Diosdado Macapagal had two items, land reform and foreign investments. He didn’t realize them because he lost after his first term to Ferdinand Marcos.

When Marcos spoke at the Luneta he emphasized two things, containing the rebellion in Mindanao, and graft and corruption. He did it by declaring Martial Law and waging war in Mindanao which he achieved but the appeasement of his successor Corazon Aquino by bringing home the top rebel Nur Misuari, revived the rebellion.

He also solved graft and corruption by abolishing Congress. But true to the saying that absolute power corrupts absolutely, Marcos was chased out of Malacañang for corruption and in the record of international books is the third greatest thief.

In No. 10, by the way, in the report of Transparency International is Joseph Estrada.

After Marcos I don’t know what the themes of the Presidents were. Did they have any?

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So, the road map is there. I believe it’s a good road map.

As I said earlier, I want President Arroyo to be a strong President. And also as a traveler, we get dogs barking on our way. If we allow the barking dogs to block our way, we can never get to our destination. Wield a strong hand, Madame President!*

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