SONA, SOCA, Palaro as political events

While we are bombarded daily with global and national events that have consequences in our daily lives, there are local events that grab our attention because of their familiarity and immediate impact on us. Information technology is feeding news, blogs, events, and disinformation faster and broader stressing/distorting our perceptions. The SONA, SOCA, and Palaro are light diversion events that should be more entertaining than stressful, but it has political implications that will lead to socio-political problems for the people.

Aside from the annual SONA of the president, local government officials like governors and mayors are now giving State of the City Address (SOCA) or State of the Province Address (SOPA), and in the case of suspended Mayor Rama, a Backstage State of the City Address (BASOCA). These annual publicized report to their constituents complete with elaborate ceremonies are supposed to be the accomplishment report of the national/local executives, together with the programs/projects for the rest of their term. Except for the SONA after the EDSA Revolution which was a significant “return to democracy”, most of the SONA’s were about unfulfilled promises and reforms, motherhood statements, and campaign rhetoric. The SOCA’s of the local government officials are following the same line and more so with the coming mid-term elections.

An added ingredient to the politicization of the SONA, SOCA’s, and Palaro are the realignment of the BBM and Duterte forces. The SOCA’s of the major cities and provinces with huge voter population will be graced by national politicians, and so will be the Palaro which will be held in Cebu City. The extreme marginalization of Rama, the positioning of acting Mayor Garcia with Governor Garcia are defining the battle lines in Cebu City and the province. President BBM will be gracing the Palaro opening ceremonies, while VP Sara will attend the closing ceremonies. So will a bunch of national elected and appointed officials who are eyeing elections or reelection in the coming May 2025 election.

SONA’s and SOCA’s are useful and needed. In the corporate world these are the reports of the CEO/COO to their shareholders of the company performance for the year and to reiterate/clarify the strategy, the long-term plan and the operating plan for the coming year. This is particularly important to publicly-listed companies to convince their stockholders/investors to stay as shareholders or invest more, and keep their stock prices stable or higher. Corporate State of the Company Reports (SOCR) tend to be more deliberate and accurate because of the consequences of false reporting which could lead to legal action, and the financial implications to the company in terms of losses and failures. In the government reports, SONA and SOCA’s, false/exaggerated claims are condoned and government losses are shouldered by deficit spending or taxes from the people.

The tendency of SONA’s and SOCA’s to overreach or be hyperbolic in their achievements and projections are not just because of the election objective. Many government officials holding executive positions have not developed the capability and capacity of their organization and people to execute/implement programs and projects. Resources are misdirected and wasted including to corrupt practices. The accomplishments of the mayors of Baguio, Marikina, Pasig, and maybe Lapu-Lapu are welcome exceptions and may their tribe increase, but generally many local government performance have been found wanting, even with the awards that the DILG have been giving them.

Depending on the ostentatiousness and expenses of the SONA’s and SOCA’s, it has an impact on the country or localities consumption expenditures. The Palaro event in Cebu City will pump hundreds of millions to the Cebu economy for two weeks and showcase Cebu’s attraction to tourists. So either we limit the expenses for SONA’s and SOCA’s or we make them tourists attractions and entertainment.