Hits and misses
PRESIDENT Arroyo delivered the right speech for the right audience at the Batasan. She reported on the economic and political health of the nation. She gave an account of her accomplishments. Her legislative agenda and priorities were made known to the people. And she shared with us her vision of the future. She rose to the occasion.She envisions the Philippines becoming a rich and modern nation in 20 years. By then, “poverty shall have been marginalized; and the marginalized raised to a robust middle class.”
She gave Congress her legislative list, 10 important bills from reducing the cost of medicines to combating crime and terrorism.
She said her three investment priorities are in the physical, legal, intellectual and security infrastructure to increase business confidence; investments in a stronger and wider social net for education, housing and healthcare; and investments to bring peace to Mindanao.
She spent a great deal of her speech to the five Super Regions that were supposed to spread development away from Metro Manila. That portion was familiar territory because she gave equal space and time to it in her 2006 address.
The President crowed the government is spending P150 billion this year for education, P29 billion more than last year. She failed to say how she would reform basic education, the most critical element of our educational system, next to the deficiencies in science, math and English teaching.
Her report on the war on graft was impressive. However, corruption—as well as police and military lawlessness—could be reined in if the government insists on command responsibility. Few government officials take responsibility for their failures or the misdeeds of their subordinates. The constitutional mandate on accountability is very clear. Few have lived up to their responsibilities.
Her remarks on foreign policy came almost as an afterthought. Toward the end of her address, she said that progress has “imbued” foreign relations, citing the Asean Summit last year and the coming Asean Regional Forum. The foreign dignitaries in the audience must have surprised why she had not discussed foreign policy, what new directions it is taking, and why it is important to the national interest.
The President could have spoken to the young. They should take responsibility for their lives, shunning teen pregnancy, alcohol, smoking, violence, vice and frivolous pursuits. A word on civics and citizenship would have been instructive. For young and adults, she could have preached volunteerism and the fulfillment of civic duties.
We missed a paragraph on improving incomes, ensuring equal pay, raising the minimum wage and improving standards of living. What are the most recent figures on the poverty level, survival below which is difficult for the masses of Filipinos? After all, she said that liberating the poor from hunger and poverty was as important as protecting human rights.
Her speechwriters failed to realize that her audience went beyond the politicians, the generals, the diplomats, the businessmen and the elite at the Batasan. She was expected to address a wider audience—the young, the workers, women, the artists, the ethnic minorities, the poor and the middle class—the national family. They expected to hear from her, about her plans for their future, how they fit into her vision, and their role in the national agenda, which includes not only the economy and politics, but also strengthening the moral fabric, promoting family values and building a decent and civil society.
