If I were president, this would be my SONA

My dear bosses, the Filipino people. Here we are again, another SONA. Mind you, it’s called the SONA, as in, “State of the Nation,” not SOMG, “the state of my government.”

Because the state of my government could do better. What did you expect? The system is rotten, and has been so for ages. It’s dominated by the elite and has been an instrument for upholding the interests of a few. It is also the chief money-making source of many of those who get rich in the country. Did you expect me to change all that historical and structural baggage in 4 years?

Oh sorry. I digress. Besides, I shouldn’t be talking like those leftists. Those who are trying to impeach me. More on this later.

Reproductive Health Law

For this year I am truly proud to report that I finally managed, with the help of the women’s movements and its allies, to enact an RH Law and get it declared as not unconstitutional. This was not a small thing even for me, because I earned the perpetual ire of the anti-RH movement and many, if not most, Catholic bishops. 

Note how the bishops manage to twist themselves into ribbons just to make sure they always oppose me. For example, Archbishop Socrates Villegas actually said of Enrile, Revilla and Estrada: “Those among us who are not accused, let us remember that the offenses with which those who now stand accused are charged could very well be the offense of any of us as well. Who are we to condemn? Let the one who has no sin be the first to cast a stone. ” He said this, at the same time implying that I caused the investigation of these 3 while stopping the investigation of my political allies. (By the way, did I mention that one of the most amazing things that happened to the country this year was the jailing of Enrile, Revilla and Estrada?)

My bosses, please tell Archbishop Soc that plunder could not possibly be an offense “anyone of us could commit.” I, for one, cannot commit plunder. I am sincere. I am doing my best here. Hindi ko talaga maintindihan ang sinabi ng Supreme Court tungkol sa DAP! Lalo namang malabo yung impeachment charges against me. (I really don’t understand the Supreme Court decision over the Disbursement Acceleration Program. Much less the impeachment charges against me accusing me of plunder.)

More on that later. I do get carried away. Where was I? Oh the RH Law. Well, since I am never going to be forgiven for pushing this, I may as well ensure implementation. Since you, the legislators also showed amazing sensitivity to public opinion and the developmental needs of our people when you passed this law, I remind you that you will need to appropriate a budget for it. I don’t want it to be like other beautiful laws that are beautiful only on paper.

Future efforts

And since we now have some assurance that women’s health will not be forgotten, I want Secretary Ona to seriously think of universal health care. Not the universal health care for only the poorest of the poor that we have so far. We need universal health care where any citizen will have all they need, when they need it. If Thailand was able to do it, why can’t we? I am announcing it will be my flagship program.

Anyway, because I want to address this issue of DAP, I want to just make a list of things I want you, Congress, to enact. So here is what I think we need to do: we should pass the freedom of information bill; the anti-discrimination bill to protect our LGBT community; the Magna Carta for Workers in the Informal Economy. Pass those three bills in the next 6 months, and I will get back to you. (And I don’t mean that in a DAP sense.)

And now for some self criticism. I am truly, truly, truly, sorry that I have utterly, utterly failed in land reform. I mean, my administration’s track record on this has been abominable. This is one reason why our excellent economic growth rate has not translated into well being for the poor. The lack of land ownership is a continuing basis for social injustice. Land distribution is crucial, as it has been in many of the Asian tiger economies, to fuel economic growth. It is also central to some important goals such as food security. Because of this, I think a few heads will roll in my government. I also will get back to you in the next two weeks on a new and super-urgent proposed bill that will allow me to fast-track land distribution in the last 2 years of my term.

On DAP

Finally, I will now talk about the issue of DAP. I am truly upset that I and Butch Abad, who have tried so hard to bring reform, should be accused of bad faith. That something all past administrations have used for bad purposes, should now be used against me. Me! The person who finally began to use the loopholes of the system for reform.

It frustrates me that I appointed competent and independent justices to the Supreme Court, who then turned around and declared DAP unconstitutional.

It hurts me that I have appointed independent persons like COA Chair Grace Pulido Tan who has revealed some bad uses of the DAP. I am insecure therefore that those other women, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, may not see my good intentions.

What have I unleashed? Even those leftists who have no real commitment to our government and its instrumentalities are now citing the Supreme Court decision!

The state of reform

Could it be that this reform that I started has now gathered a momentum that is beyond my control? Beyond any singular political party or force? Could it be that reform has begun to go beyond personalities towards the long and uncharted road of institution building? Are the systems really in place such that a completely arbitrary event like the kidnapping of Benhur Luy could lead to the downfall of people like Enrile, Revilla and Estrada?

Could it be that the unfolding of the DAP saga is really about a historic moment when the balance of the power between the executive, the legislative and judicial branches of government is being calibrated and refined so that abuse can be better prevented?

In which case I will have done a real good thing. In which case, I will, like any serious reformer, be the victim of my own efforts. Then perhaps, I need not be so pikon (defensive).

Dear bosses. This is the state of the nation as I hope it to be. As I hope my legacy should be. That my small attempts have awakened you to the reality that transformation has always been in your hands. Hopefully, the system has been given enough of an opening for you to mold it to your desires.

The burden is now with you. You must now seriously consider what it is you wish. Educate yourselves! It is time for you to think about how you wish change to happen.

There are those who would wish to smash the system completely and put in place a utopia of their own imagining with their own set of personalities. In that sense, they are a bit like me in my “pikon” identity.

Then, there are those who see the future already taking root in the muck of the present. They see the logic of incremental and patient reform. For them they see the logic of an inclusive effort that goes beyond pre-determined endpoints. Beyond individual and narrow partisan concerns.

My bosses, are you really going to be my boss? Then, begin. Take the path of citizenship-governance. Stop worrying first about who will be the next President. Do everything in your power to ensure that whoever becomes President cannot abuse the system. You have already begun that with your efforts at ending the pork barrel. Keep vigilant. Ensure that those who stole your money are brought to justice.

I won’t need to resort to DAP if we can pressure Congress into doing its job. That is, the national budget must reflect our social priorities. Universal heath care, land reform, access to quality education, job generation, spending on infrastructure – all these things can be mandated by Congress. That is what the process of budget making is all about: the forging of a social covenant between Congress, the Executive and the people.

If you could work on these two efforts in the coming year, our nation will be in a better state in a year’s time.

Dream. Act.  Do not be discouraged by the past. Every nation has its crucial historical conjunctures. We deserve ours to be now. 

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas. – Rappler.com