THE opposition and the progressive bloc in the House of Representatives described as “empty” the State of the Nation Address (Sona) of President Aquino, saying it is full of motherhood statements.

Lakas-Kampi-CMD Rep. Maria Milagros Magsaysay of Zambales said Mr. Aquino did not mention any economic road map and alleviation of poverty program.

“Hindi niya nilatag ang [economic] road map. Hindi niya sinabi kung paano iaahon ang ating mga kababayan sa kahirapan. Puro motherhood statements ang sinabi niya. Very disappointing,” said Magsaysay.

“Hindi pa din detailed ang kanyang flagship projects pagdating sa ekonomiya. Hindi malinaw ang kanyang economic road map, hindi niya sinabi sa amin kung ano ang mga trabahong papasok, kung anong klaseng mga negosyo ang papasok, kung anong klaseng mga investment ang papasok. Hindi niya sinabi kung papano nya iaahon ang mga mahirap mula sa kahirapan. Although sinabi niya na nakikita niya kung paano naghihirap ang mga tao, hindi niya sinabi kung paano susulusyunan ang pagtaas ng presyo ng langis at mga bilihin,” she added.

Fundamental issues

PARTY-LIST Rep. Teodoro Casiño of Bayan Muna said that what the people wants to hear from Mr. Aquino, that he did not mention, were the fundamental issues such as the spiraling prices of oil, electricity and other basic commodities and land reform.

“Nag-focus siya sa isyu na dati na niyang binabanggit. So walang bago talaga. As expected, the President put his best foot forward in the Sona. But one year after, wang-wang politics is really old news. Bumenta na iyan. For the President to keep harping on it shows that he hasn’t really moved forward in other things that matter—the prices of goods and services, lack of jobs and businesses, failure of land reform, low wages and lack of housing for the poor,” said Casiño.

As for the drive against corruption that Mr. Aquino emphasized in his speech, Casiño said that while hyping the drive, the President never mentioned the Freedom of Information bill.

“The most disappointing in the Sona is that despite so much time devoted to the issue of corruption, there was not one word about the FOI bill, considering how crucial it is to ensuring good governance in his administration. Kung may FOI, hindi na talaga mauulit ang mga kalokohan noon. Ang laban ng korupsiyon ay hindi sa mga kalaban lamang, ang laban na ito ay sa lahat ng uri ng korupsiyon,” said Casiño.

Party-list Rep. Raymond Palatino of Kabataan, who doned a “modern” Katipunero attire, agreed with Casiño.

“How can corruption and other social ills be eradicated if President Aquino cuddles his  KKK [Kamag-anak, Kaklase, Kaibigan] officials? This is far from ‘daang matuwid.’ Not surprisingly, the country remains at the same state when it was under Arroyo,” said Palatino, referring to former President Gloria Arroyo, now the representative of the Second District of Pampanga.

He likened Mr. Aquino’s Sona with the sound of wang-wang, which he said embodies the empty rhetoric that mutes the “gut issues” confronting the people.

“President Aquino’s phrase ‘utak wang-wang’ in his Sona applies squarely in his speech. The gut issues of the people were evaded to give way to all his proud claims on the supposed achievements of the administration. No word was given on Hacienda Luisita and land reform; wage increase for our workers; regulation of oil and other prices of commodities; social services like health and education; Visiting Forces Agreement and foreign dominance; and concrete anti-corruption measures like the passage of Freedom of Information Act. I cannot help but perceive all his talk against wang-wang as a stratagem to cover up the fundamental issues of the people,” Palatino said.

Warning vs corrupt officials

DEPUTY Speaker Lorenzo Tañada III said he admires the President’s strong warning against past corruptors and would-be corruptors. 

“Even the private sector is forewarned. Good governance is the main point that he emphasized and I think he wants to overemphasize.  It drove home the point,” said Tañada.

Former President Joseph Estrada said while he lauds Mr.  Aquino’s anti-corruption programs, “I also believe that nation-building must be simultaneous with and not subsequent to eliminating corruption.”

“So while we are eliminating corruption, we should also be empowering our citizens through nation-building. I hope that in his second year, we see more results in the fields of peace and order, food security and social services, especially education,” said Estrada.

Party-list Rep. Rafael Mariano of Anakpawis said what the nation heard from Mr. Aquino’s Sona were just “sugar-coated statistics, political grandstanding and very little on the real situation of Filipinos.”

Also, Mariano said he was not surprised when Mr. Aquino never mentioned land reform in his speech, which is “one of the biggest challenges for Aquino who comes from a landed clan, a family of hacienderos.”

He scored the President for having no clear policy pronouncement on agrarian reform and agriculture.

“The Aquino government has no direction but the sellout of the country’s resources,” said Mariano, who is also the chairman of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas.

Faith in the government

PARTY-LIST Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy of Bagong Henerasyon said Mr. Aquino’s Sona should serve as an inspiration for all Filipinos to continue faith in what the government could do if integrity in governance is restored. 

“Scoffed by the abusers of power as an absurd method showing power, the campaign against wang-wang has proven to be a simple yet effective way of extracting corruption and depravation in the bureaucracy. The campaign against abuse in government has started to bear fruits as we are now winning the war against unemployment, poverty and economic stagnation,” said Dy.

Meanwhile, the Freedom from Debt Coalition, a national coalition of organizations advocating people-centered sustainable development, said the Sona still has no vision and direction.

“Aquinomics is still Arroyonomics,” said FDC President Ricardo Reyes.

The Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG), on the other hand, said Mr. Aquino failed not only to fulfill his promises but also in laying down concrete, well-studied programs toward strategic institutional reforms in order to recover the people’s trust in government and move the nation forward to social and economic development.

Ateneo professor and CenPEG Fellow Ben Lim said the presidency has overwhelmed Mr. Aquino.

“He may be the most straightforward Filipino, if there is such a person, a man pushed by fate and media gimmickry to the presidency, but he is not the person the country needs at the moment,” Lim said.

Mr. Aquino’s governing style, according to Lim, “emphasizes delegation and passivity until things go wrong.”

“The P-Noy style… has advantages, it is difficult to pinpoint responsibility. He has delegated leadership and initiative to his advisers and Cabinet members,” said Lim.

Migrante-Middle East likened Mr. Aquino’s speech to “picking good apples” as it mentioned bits of accomplishment his administration have done so far on its first year in office.

“The President is like ‘picking good apples’ delivering his Sona rather than outlining in concrete terms its plans and programs for the Filipino people, the various marginalized sectors including the migrant workers and their dependents,” said John Leonard Monterona, Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator.