Midway into his term, President Duterte’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) did not yield any big surprises, hewing closely to already familiar themes. I think it was a more mellow performance that had its own funny moments, showing the innate wit of our national mayor.
The 2019 Sona showed that the presidency as an office has not changed the essential Duterte although the 74-year-old leader has certainly managed to drastically change our perception of how a president should act. It is the mayor in him that continues to prevail, and this is what will keep Malacañang’s doors open for popular and excellent local executives as future occupants.
Going back to the speech itself, the message was not in its length (more than an hour) or in the bills mentioned or proposed. The Sona is also the state of the presidency, and so allow me to lift some excerpts that best describe his current state of mind and how he feels about certain developments and challenges.
The wit: “Numbers speak a thousand words and tell a hundred tales. But the landslide victory of the administration candidates, as well as the latest survey results show that my disapproval rating is 3 percent. I hope that the members
of Congress—sana hindi kayo included as 3 percent.”
The frustration: “We, in government, talk too much, act too little, and too slowly. I recall saying that before the congressional hearing when I was mayor of Davao City. I say that again to emphasize how little we have changed since then. We are long on rhetoric but short on accomplishments.”
Now comes the pain: “Honestly, I have identified the enemy who dumped us into this quagmire we are in. I have met the enemy face-to-face and sadly, the enemy is us. We are our own tormentors—we are our own demons; we are as rapacious predators preying on the helpless, the weak and the voiceless. We find corruption everywhere in government with every malefactor watching his cohort’s back in blatant disregard of his oath when he assumed public office.”
“Even the language has evolved to soften the wickedness of the criminal act. ‘For the boys,’ ‘sponsoring an event,’ or what-else-have-you. No amount of euphemism can trivialize or normalize betrayal of public trust or any other criminal offense. It is an injury laced with insult. It is both a national embarrassment and a national shame. For every transaction, a commission; for every action, extortion; and a request that goes on and on—endlessly and shamelessly.”
“We are our own tormentors—we are our own demons; we are as rapacious predators preying on the helpless, the weak and the voiceless. We find corruption everywhere in government with every malefactor watching his cohort’s back in blatant disregard of his oath when he assumed public office.”
And finally, the promise: “We are now entering a period of consequences. The consequences of what we did and did not do but should have done during the first half of my term. I assume full responsibility for that. As President, I cannot pass it—the blame to anybody. So it’s on me. Though we cannot change the past, we will not squander the future. I will push harder in the pursuit of programs that we have started, but always within the parameters of the law. I will not merely coast along or while away my time during the remaining years of my administration. It ain’t my style. But I will not stop until I reach the finish line. Then and only then shall I call it a day.”
The President’s third Sona will likely go down in history as the best anti-corruption speech delivered. If only speeches could solve things. At best, a good speech can inspire individuals, if not an entire nation, to strive to change for the better. That descriptive portion of the Sona on what corruption in the Philippine context is about deserves to be printed and posted on all government edifices, together with the presidential action line 8888.
Years from now, we will remember his marching orders to the Land Bank of the Philippines: “LandBank should go back to the land. Why are you mired in so many commercial transactions? Bumalik kayo where you were created for and that is to help the farmers.” We will remember this because it shows where the President’s heart lies. We never heard such an admonishment from past presidents or economists and political leaders with doctorate degrees. We heard it from a mayor-president that recognizes the huge debt of gratitude owed to our farmers.
There will be critics and that’s good, too. This is a President with self-admitted flaws. He is incoherently coherent, and that, too, is part of his charm. The public trusts him because he does not talk smooth; he is rough, raw and candid. The critics and the media are there to make him accountable when presidential imperfections contravene the national interest. Democracy thrives with every meme created, sans prior censorship.
The president-in-pain can take heart from the trust and approval ratings that also serve as the state of the people’s address. Let’s hope that in the next three years, our President will have enough fire in the belly to make our extraordinary dreams for this nation possible. Let’s wish him well.
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Susan V. Ople heads the Blas F. Ople Policy Center and Training Institute, a nonprofit organization that deals with labor and migration issues. She also represents the OFW sector in the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking.
Image credits: Nonie Reyes