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Today
about 9,000 policemen have been deployed to secure the
Batasang Pambansa Complex where President Arroyo will
deliver her State of the Nation Address before the two
chambers of Congress.
In
contrast, some 16,000 policemen and soldiers were
mobilized in last year’s Sona. If this indicates
anything, it may be that authorities see less immediate
threats to the President’s security this year from both
the Left and the Right, and that political tensions have
subsided considerably after the May midterm elections.
But
whether the political atmosphere will stay placid for
the rest of the year is, well, arguable, because the
political opposition may simply be waiting for the right
time to ratchet up the rhetoric against corruption in
government, and the militant groups are likely to launch
more street protests, particularly against the
antiterrorism law and the continuing political
killings.
When she
faces Congress today, the President is expected to once
again trumpet her administration’s accomplishments
especially in the economic sphere: the appreciation of
the value of the peso in relation to the dollar; the
continuing rise in OFW remittances; a bullish stock
market; and a manageable budget deficit, among others.
But the
other side of the picture could get pretty blurred amid
the zeal in reporting the good news. Shortfalls in
revenue collections, for instance, will impact
negatively on growth targets; hinder efforts to deliver
vital social services, especially to the poor and the
disadvantaged; put on hold ambitious infrastructure
development programs under the super-regions concept
unveiled in last year’s Sona; and hamper the full
implementation of antipoverty and antihunger
initiatives.
What
we’d really like to hear from the President is a roadmap
for the next three years, that is, until the end of her
term in 2010, that will spell out very clearly the
targets in the economic, social and political spheres.
Beyond
this, what the nation badly needs now is a central
vision that will be embraced by all Filipinos because it
truly reflects their needs and their aspirations. In
other words, they must be active stakeholders, and not
mere passive recipients, of development.
We find
it disturbing that the administration does not appear to
have a coherent and integrated strategy for development,
indulging instead in wordplay devoid of meaning.
Remember the “Strong Republic”? Did we ever hear of the
“Strong Republic” in the President’s next Sona after it
was first mentioned early in this decade?
A Palace
functionary tried to flesh out the concept early on, but
after a fashion, with the resulting piece seemingly a
mishmash of development models picked up here and there.
Predictably, the “Strong Republic” was soon dropped from
official rhetoric, having sunk right from the outset
from the weight of its own exaggerated claim.
Mrs.
Arroyo has spoken recently of making her last three
years in office the “legacy phase,” which we take to
mean as doing good in every field of governance so that
she will be remembered as a good President worthy of the
admiration of our people and deserving of a secure place
in our history.
But we
believe the Arroyo administration’s performance should
really be assessed in its entirety, and not on the basis
of its last three years in office.
And
where we should start should be 2001, when she unveiled
her “core beliefs” in her inaugural speech. Let us
refresh the readers on what she said then:
“One, we
must be bold in our national ambition, so that our
challenge must be that we will win the fight against
poverty within this decade.
“Two, we
must improve moral standards in government in order to
provide a strong foundation for good governance.
“Three,
we must change the nature of our politics in order to
create fertile ground for true reform.
“And
four, government must set leadership by example.”
And what
have been the results since then?
We’d
much prefer to answer this question with more questions.
Has the
war against poverty since 2001 led to a significant
reduction in poverty levels in the country, to the
extent that in three years’ time, there will be no more
poor Filipinos?
Are we
close to eliminating graft and corruption that diverts,
according to the World Bank, at least one-fifth of the
annual budget to private pockets and takes away precious
resources that could otherwise be used to improve the
quality of life of the poor? Has the Arroyo
administration consistently upheld transparency and
accountability in its six-and-a-half years in office?
Do we
have new politics that is the complete opposite of the
politics of patronage and personalities that has
dominated our political landscape in our country for as
long as we can remember?
And can
the Arroyo administration honestly say that it has
demonstrated leadership by example, amid allegations by
its staunchest critics that it has done nothing but to
steal, lie and cheat since it assumed office?
The Sona
is an occasion for the Chief Executive to tell the
Filipino people exactly where the nation stands at this
point. Let this be an honest and forthright review of
what has been done so far by the government.
But more
than this, it should give clear answers to vexing
questions. Will the government move decisively to put an
end to political killings? Will the government undertake
a drastic overhaul of the electoral system so that the
2010 elections will truly reflect the people’s will? And
will the government be able to extirpate corruption so
that antipoverty programs can proceed apace?
The
Filipino people deserve no less, if we hope to move
forward to peace and progress. |
