HALFWAY THROUGH his six-year term, President Benigno S. Aquino III Aquino enumerated several reforms in his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 22 in the Batas Pambansa Complex, Quezon City.
Facing a joint Congress session, the President highlighted several achievements such as the increase in rice supply, the creation of more classrooms and the proposed division of Hacienda Luisita.
In addition to this, Aquino also emphasized the improved performance of the economy and the ongoing peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Aquino pointed out that inclusive growth was critical in each reform. “Ito pong tinatawag nating inclusive growth—itong malawakang kaunlaran—ang mismong prinsipyong bukal ng bawat inisyatiba, bawat kilos, bawat desisyon ng inyong gobyerno. (What we call inclusive growth—this all-encompassing progress—is the principle that drives every initiative, every action and every decision of your government),” he said.
Lastly, Aquino commended the actions and contributions of the millions of Filipinos who have “pitched in and transformed the country,” enabling the Philippines to direct itself onto the straight path.
“Ngayon, Pilipino, ituloy natin ang pagkakapit-bisig, sabay nating arugain, pabilisin, at palawakin ang transpormasyon ng lipunan. Ako po si Noynoy Aquino; ipinagmamalaki ko sa buong mundo: Pilipino ako. At talagang napakasarap maging Pilipino sa panahong ito (Now, my countrymen, let us continue to stand arm-in-arm. Together, let us foster, accelerate and expand the transformation of society. I am Noynoy Aquino and I proudly say to the world: I am a Filipino. How wonderful it is to be a Filipino in these times),” he said.
A desire for more
A few miles away from the Batas Pambansa Complex, around 4,650 protesters were marching along Commonwealth Avenue.
Composed of hundreds of supporters from different sectors, groups and social and political formations, the march represented a very different type of SONA.
“Dito, ito ‘yung tunay na SONA. Alam natin na politika ‘yung nandoon sa loob, dito ang tunay na buhay (Here, this is the true SONA. We know that what’s going on inside is politics but here is where real life is,” said Philippine Airlines Employees Association President Gerry Rivera.
Many of the groups point out that, while the administration has achieved several goals, a number of the promises and reforms Aquino made remain unfulfilled.
“Palaging ipinagmamalaki ng administrasyon na tumataas ‘yung GDP (Gross Domestic Product). Subalit, kung pagmamasdan natin ‘yung rally ngayon, hindi naman lahat nakakaramdam ng pag-unlad na sinasabi ng administrasyon (The administration always likes to highlight that the GDP is rising. However, when one looks at the rally, not everyone really feels the effects of what the administration is saying,” said philosophy supersenior Kam Ho, a member of the Ateneo’s Christian Union for Socialist and Democratic Advancement.
Rivera shared the same sentiment, questioning how inclusive the economy really is. “Ang pag-unlad ay dapat nararamdaman ng bawat isa, kahit sa pinakadulo ng ating lipunan (Prosperity has to be felt by everyone, even those in the lowest rung of our society),” he said.
Issues such as the rising contractualization, the widening gap between the rich and the poor and corruption within certain sections of the government have led for many to believe that there is much to be done.
“’Yung sinasabi [ni Aquino na] matuwid na daan, marami pang baluktot (With regard to Aquino’s ‘straight path’, there is still much that is crooked,” Ho said.
