'People Props', side bar of the SONA

In the past, trailers of big-budgeted motion pictures carried such titillating adjectives as spectacular, powerful or gripping. All of these can apply to the entertainment-like event that unfolded at the Batasan halls top billing Her Excellency, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on the occasion of her State of the Nation Address few days ago.

Pres. Arroyo's SONA could be likened to a monumental stage production. The president spoke of the truth, this time, when she announced that "we have the money". That money was flowing was evident. It was obvious in the staggering number of security forces thrown to guard the event. If, in filming the movie "The Fall of the Roman Empire" sometime in the early 60's, several thousand extras were hired, it found more than its equal in the SONA.

Remember, there were 16,000 praetorians and not 13,000 guards earlier boasted by Gen. Vidal Querol. Their unprecedented number eventually made sure that no one, who could have spoiled the merriment, passed the gauntlet. The stubborn opposition as well as the cause oriented groups were herded miles away from the Batasan perimeter and better still, held at bay that they could not witness the address of the president. They were perhaps, in the mind of our president and the police general, not part of the "nation".

Gen. Querol had to be congratulated. He provided the sieve that prevented the likes of Gen. Dan Lim from ever getting close to the president. Practically, all the personalities who were allowed inside the session halls belonged to a common society, shared the same fortune and motivated by one notion.

Because "we have the money", Malacañang was able to assemble men and women whose combined talents far exceeded the skills of Director Steven Spielberg and crew. I had all my praises for the floor director of the show. Whoever he was, he did an impeccable programming in focusing the camera upon those extras whose names were called by Pres. Arroyo. For instance, when Miss International was adverted to, the tiara worn by the Precious flashed on the tv screens to deliver the subliminal message that without the support of the government, she would not have won the crown.

It was the very first time I saw natives from Mt. Province come down to the metropolis clad in indigenous garb. I believed they preferred to walk to the Batasan rather than being transported in air-conditioned comfort. I was happy that, right on cue, television cameras zoomed on them the very second the president spoke of her having given their land titles even if I remembered the misfortune of the thousands of our brothers here in the heart of Cebu City who have remained squatters.

Being a boxing fan, I was excited to see Manny Pacquiao rubbing elbows with our legislators for I thought there was going to be a boxing exhibition until I realized that he was there for a purpose other than pugilism. Anyway, the presence of the members of the champion Philippine team to the last Asean meet, in their sweat shirts and jogging pants more than made up for my unfamiliarity with a Pacquiiao wearing a barong tagalog.

Ah, there were many other props, "People props", in the SONA. I am sure the show director did not instruct them to smile each time the cameras were on them. But, surely, the people props helped the president come up with so spectacular an entertaining speech as to mesmerize us into accepting a "blue print" of a future Philippines. Her blue print was supposed to buy our support away from finding out the truth about the alleged 2004 poll cheating or from knowing who benefited from the pillage of fertilizer fund. Even if we have difficulty figuring out how "we have the money" to pursue the blue print, when we still have budgetary deficits, the presence of "people props" emboldened the president into organizing an incredible SONA.

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