Every forth Monday of July, every
year, the President of the Philippines goes before a Joint Session of Congress in
order to address them, and the country via TV, radio and internet streaming,
regarding the economy, politics and social condition of the Philippines. The
State of the Nation Address (SONA) may have been under recent scrutiny for
being turned into a fashion show by well-dressed legislators, their families,
and celebrity audiences, but the message delivered then by the Head of State is
important. This Monday was also the fourth SONA by President Rodrigo Duterte,
and true to his dogged determination, the same unresolved topics from his
previous speeches were reiterated.
CNN Philippines reports that the State of the Nation Address by
President Duterte on the late afternoon and early evening of July 22 saw a
retread of the general issues that he prioritizes for his term in office: the
war on drugs and government corruption. But while he is stressing the
importance of solving these problems for the fourth time in a row, there is
also a manifested weariness in his delivery of these points in his platform,
promised during the 2016 Election campaign. It is understandable, as his
original 3-6-month timetable of making the Philippines drug-free is past overdue.
In signature fashion, President
Duterte has tried to deflect his growing frustration at the undelivered drug
war deadline by resorting gallows humor. At one point he jokingly hoped that
the country be struck by a Big One-like earthquake to cull the corruption from
the country. He does make some serious declarations, including a paraphrase of
the 2015 “Heneral Luna” film dialogue accusing the Filipinos of being their own
worst enemy. “We are our own tormentors,” he thundered. “We are our own demons.
We are rapacious predators preying on the weak.”
Not all of the 2019 SONA was doom
and gloom. President Rodrigo Duterte also made note of more recent accomplishments
such as exposing massive fraud in PhilHealth. He also gave a detailed
explanation on the delicate situation in the West Philippine Sea with China, to
justify the lopsided fishing agreement in the country’s exclusive economic
zone. The President also made mention of legislation proposed by his former
aide and now-Senator Bong Go, including more solo-parent benefits and upgrading
the current Overseas Filipino agency into a full Department of the government.
No mention was made in the
address this year regarding the President’s initiative for a charter change
that would start the transition into a federal government. Its absence due to
lack of public support may also account for more of Duterte’s grim humor, such
as inviting would-be coup plotters to strike quickly, while he is in a mood to “resign.”
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