SONA: Dreams and Nightmares

I’m reminded again of the President’s SONA last Monday. I couldn’t help but compare it to a person’s twilight years. Or to a terminally ill patient’s must-do-before-I-go list. Way before her annual address to the nation and right after the conclusion of this year’s election, Arroyo already expressed her plan to leave a legacy after she steps down in 2010. Siyempre, actually stepping down for a peaceful transition remains to be seen as we are all reminded how easily she can change her mind on that — exercising the fabled woman’s prerogative and apart from promises (“not to run”) broken. GMA glaringly stopped addressing political issues and concentrated on her “legacy” plans since the last SONA. Most of us thought her to be a madwoman committing to build airports wherever she scored political support from the loyal local officials. Where was the money going to come from, aber? With an administration smacked with unresolved issues, with perception and suspicions against it running wild and refusing to die down it is no wonder the Arroyo Presidency now resorts to cosmetic surgery by way of burying the issues under tons of infrastructure gravel. Hay naku, it doesn’t take an Einstein to figure that out. Hence GMA’s report card that serve as basis to keep dreaming on to further fiscal heights and “making it easier” for her successor. Pero, the problem with dreaming is that one may be subject to a rude awakening.

Already GMA is under fire for endless reasons. Ping Lacson and FVR agree she claimed credit for the Butuan Bridge completion, a project made possible by former Vice President Erap Estrada via Japanese funding. The jury is still out on her claims on the progress of the promises from her last SONA. The virtual roll call of politicians, critics say, could have been precious time spent on talking about her progress report against corruption with a 1 billion peso anti-corruption fund from the US to be answerable for. Or anything on the classrooms or on the end of smuggling in Subic? Certainly a President can be as strong as she wants to be — or as evasive as she wants to be in her State of the Nation Address. With all the projects she plans to leave after her term there is a vague hint at how this is all going to happen.

The London based credit rating firm Fitch computes a P125B deficit for the Philippines, double the P60B target of government. We can imagine Finance Secretary Gary Teves sweating beads while he assures the commentators the targets are attainable. But not without the possibility, he says, of selling public assets (translation: we’re paying more for it again). The answers from GMA’s economic team regarding raising and adding more taxation against the public again are vague, too. (translation: we don’t know where the E-Vat revenues went and it still isn’t enough).

It is also true that the past always comes back to haunt you. Citing the AFP’s involvement in the disappearances and extrajudicial killings during this administration, more than 800 as of last count, the largest provider of military aid to the country, the American government, has threatened to cut its vital aid to the Philippine military. Hayayayayay! This definitely undermines the President’s war on terror and all her bravado on the Human Securities Act. And to think we are now girding for an all-out offensive against the bandits of Basilan and their ilk. Again, the issue of money springs out like a jack-in-a-box to startle GMA from her sleepwalking.

Even the heavens don’t seem to be cooperating with the President’s vision. In what is supposed to be the rainy season, the country, all water reservoirs supplying water and electricity to Metro Manila are short by meters of rainfall. Water levels at the country’s dams and hydroelectric power plants have fallen dangerously low, prompting Meralco to start implementing rotating brownouts! Our clean water supply is also in danger of running out if the rains do not come soon. How now progress if we are thrown back into the stone age? News also reports of a bug affecting our swine industry affecting industry by the millions.

The only thing going for the President nowadays is that the opposition is fragmented. With battles in the Senate and the House regarding leadership raging on. Party lines are being crossed and alliances shattered by differences in opinion and stands on a myriad of issues. Instead of all their ships sailing in one direction, they have manned the lifeboats and gone their own ways. Some even making their way to the shores of the administration. But that’s politics so no surprises there.

So much for the President’s quieter days. With all these going on, coupled with unresolved issues (Garci tapes, Fertilizer Scam, accusations of cheating in the last two elections, Lintang Bedol, Maguindanao) , naku, it will be a feat if she can deliver and see to it that her dreams don’t turn up nightmares for her and for us.