IT is just days away before President Aquino delivers his State of the Nation Address (Sona) on July 27. It will be his last Sona since he assumed power in June 2010; he was a non-presidential timber actually, until his mother Tita Cory died months before the elections.
Following the outpouring of grief over Tita Cory’s demise that would soon translate into sympathy leading to a call for The Son to run for president, early presidential pacesetter Manuel Roxas II, in a rather chivalrous move, gave way to Noynoy. The rest, as we say, is history. The Sona, as we all know, is basically the President’s report on what he has done the past year; he will follow it up with the enumeration of his main plans for the future.
Did he accomplish the plans he had laid out in his past Sonas?
Hard to say.
What I remember vividly:
- He said he would end rice importation, saying the country will be self-sufficient under his watch. That did not happen, as access roads from farm-to-market produce he had vigorously promised he would build in his campaign sorties was but empty talk. I doubt if rice sufficiency would happen as he is due to exit in June 2016. Aren’t fake rice even imported now? But if it should happen—rice sufficiency, that is, well, I believe in miracles.
- He said he would solve traffic woes in Metro Manila. That did not happen. Traffic even worsened under his watch. Can you imagine we now lose P2.4 billion daily due to traffic jams in the Big City? I doubt if traffic flow would improve, as he has practically 10 months left in office. Look, there are 1 million or so vehicles in the metropolis traversing only about 5,000 kilometers; and, more badly needed elevated skyways aren’t even on the government radar all this time. The railway system is in an utter state of disrepair, with accidents like collisions between metro trains happening and trains overshooting terminal destinations, injuring commuters in horrific frequencies. Under P-Noy, trains going to both North and South from Manila and back had ground to a halt, derailing travel habits of thousands totally dependent on train trips.
- He said he would build an elevated road to connect the South Luzon Expressway to North Luzon Expressway, even boasting it would be completed in 2015. That would surely ease traffic in Metro Manila. But not a single groundbreaking ceremony had happened and 2015’s end is fast approaching. Now, is P-Noy Superman, Man of Steel if you will, that he can build it from today up to December 31, 2015? Can he be another Imelda, the famed building-maker in amazing record times when she was the Imeldific first lady only a while back? I doubt.
So, will the vote in 2016 still go to P-Noy’s chosen one?
While politics, indeed, is the art of the possible, it is possible P-Noy’s pick will encounter turbulence of immense proportions.
Toyota always too strong
EVEN as it already recorded a milestone of 1-million in sales in April since its second coming in 1989, Toyota established another record-smashing performance in June by selling a total of 9,923 units. That was a whopping 17-percent increase from its June 2014 mark.
As a result, Toyota registered a tsunami-like sales surge in the first semester, gaining 57,717 units for a year-to-date growth of 19 percent.
As usual, Vios, the best-selling car in the country for years now and locally manufactured at that, at Toyota Santa Rosa in Laguna, led the way with 14,857 units sold. Fortuner continued its dominance of the commercial vehicle segment with 8,744 units sold in the same period. Michinobu “The Rocker” Sugata, the Toyota president still in cloud 9 following the 1-million sales Toyota milestone celebration, said: “This is, indeed, an encouraging performance as Toyota’s sales continue to increase, with the second semester growing by 7 percent due to the high demand of new vehicles last summer. As we enter the second half of the year, our priority is to remain steadfast to our customers’ needs, such as providing the best deals we can offer, making it easier for our dear Filipinos to own a Toyota.”
During the “One-Million Sales Milestone” bash at Makati Shangri-La, Sugata-san, sidling up to me, said: “You know, Al-san, we have extended the Toyota Mid-Year Madness promo up to July 31 as our way to recognize how valuable our customers are in the Philippines.”
Sugata-san’s shoes, indeed, are too big to fill. According to one of his many admirers during the Shang party, “Once he heads to Tokyo, his replacement will have his hands full, even in merely duplicating the numerous achievements of Sugata-san.”
How true, indeed.
PEE STOP. Cheers to Peugeot for seeing its longtime endorser Novak Djokovic win the Wimbledon men’s singles tennis crown. I’m sure Peugeot President Glen Dasig, one of the hundreds invited at the Toyota “Milestone” party, is still celebrating with his Peugeot buddy, Dong Magsajo…. Cheers to Nlex top guns for unveiling today the “Nlex Tara Na Sa Norte” at 4 p.m. at Glorietta Activity Center in Makati. Set from July 17 to 19, the show is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., featuring booths for travel destinations, package tours, airfare discounts, arts and crafts, delicacies and souvenirs from two Ilocos regions. Raffle draws await patrons. NCCA artists will also perform. Call Ariet Reyes of Dante Velasco’s high-powered Creative Point at 893-4760 and 0915-6923828 for more details.