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PRESIDENT Arroyo is expected to apprise the people on
what she has done so far to set the nation on the “path
of economic growth, political stability and social
justice,” and her action plan until 2010 to ensure the
country’s economic takeoff when she delivers her State
of the Nation Address (Sona) next week.
Press
Secretary Ignacio Bunye said in his weekly news column,
“View From the Palace,” that the central theme of the
President’s Sona, which he stressed is still evolving,
would be “sustaining a strong economy and investing in
human capital and physical infrastructure,” especially
now that the government has the means to make such
investments.
“I
believe that in her Sona, the President will talk about
her vision of the Philippines as First World in 20 years
[when we will have dramatically reduced poverty, created
a robust middle class and have all the hallmarks of a
modern society in strong, stable institutions] and what
she would like to do in the next three years to
contribute to that vision,” Bunye said.
He
added, “In sum, the President is expected to show to the
nation a path of economic growth, political stability
and social justice.”
He said
the President will apprise the people about the Super
Regions infrastructure framework she unveiled in her
Sona last year, particularly on what has been achieved
so far “and what are the doables this year toward making
our country more competitive and therefore more
attractive to investments.”
Bunye
said the scope of the President’s upcoming Sona will
include reforms and investments in education and social
services, and waging peace in Mindanao.
Bunye
said the President may be working on The “revision
number 8” of her Sona by now, which “she herself writes
and rewrites” on her laptop computer, and is likely to
complete her final version “only a few minutes before
she boards the presidential vehicle on her way to
Congress” as she had done in the past.
“Like an
architect talking to a client, the President
periodically asks a Cabinet member or two to view the
work in progress. Then close to Sona time, the President
makes a presentation to the full Cabinet.”
“As in
the past, Cabinet members would ‘lobby’ to include a
phrase or a sentence in the draft and later take pride
in their authorship when the proposal is included in the
final version,” he said. |
