‘I am listening’

The third State of the Nation Address of President Marcos was remarkable not just for the issues that were mentioned, but for those that were left out.

One is the latest raging issue: the impounding of “savings” of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) and other government-owned and controlled corporations or GOCCs to finance unprogrammed appropriations in the current national budget.

Since those unprogrammed appropriations constitute the new congressional pork barrel, and the impounding arose from financial acrobatics during Congress’ bicameral conference on this year’s national budget, maybe BBM simply didn’t want to antagonize his SONA hosts.

But he said the combined tally of dividends remitted for the past two years by GOCCs had “exceeded” their contributions in 2022. So why the need to impound PhilHealth’s P89.9 billion in “savings” (not dividends), and go against the Universal Health Care Act?

Finance Secretary Ralph Recto, champion of the value-added tax increase from 10 percent to 12 percent and the Vape Law, continues to defend the impounding of the PhilHealth funds, which is becoming an issue for anti-administration forces.

Also out of the SONA agenda was Charter change – another pet initiative of the House of Representatives purportedly to help attract foreign investments and create jobs. Senate President Chiz Escudero told me about a week ago that Cha-cha is dead in the 19th Congress. Since it’s even more difficult to dance the Cha-cha midway through a presidential term, it’s dead, period.

A third item not mentioned is another BBM-House pet project: the Maharlika Investment Fund, which is costing taxpayers millions in monthly fat paychecks for its managers while the fund struggles to keep its head above water.

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At nearly an hour and a half even if BBM tried to inject some bombast in his delivery, it was a pretty boring speech. But maybe I’ve gotten used to the entertainment provided by Rodrigo Duterte’s stream-of-consciousness SONAs.

Fortunately, there was some excitement in the final portions of BBM’s speech, which even drew standing ovations from the super majority. Or maybe they needed to stretch their legs after the long wait for the start of the event, followed by that long speech.

Among the most applauded were BBM’s pronouncements on the West Philippine Sea, and his order to immediately ban all Philippine offshore gaming operators. Yesterday, Malacañang clarified that the ban included the new version of POGOs, the IGL or internet gaming licensees, launched last year by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

Also loudly applauded were BBM’s pronouncements on continuing his pursuit of a “bloodless” campaign against illegal drugs – with “extermination” out of the equation.

It was an obvious dig at his political foes in the Duterte camp, who circulated a video on SONA day, purportedly showing a younger BBM taking prohibited drugs. The so-called polvoron video, whose existence has been rumored since last year, was dismissed by top security officials as a deepfake and probably AI-generated. Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said the guy in the blurry video looked Korean.

The lead tokhang exterminator, Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, along with Duterte’s sons, Davao City Rep. Paolo and Mayor Sebastian along with loyal aide Sen. Bong Go followed the lead of Vice President Sara Duterte and skipped the SONA. Their common excuse boiled down to they had better things to do. The VP said she would not even watch the SONA on TV or gadgets as she had originally announced.

At least the only security issue recorded at the SONA, amid the VP’s statement naming herself as the designated survivor, was the usual burning of effigies by protesters mostly from the left.

There was no mention of the list of proposed legislation submitted by business groups shortly before the SONA, but BBM submitted to Congress a separate “technical report” of 27 priority measures. Business groups welcomed the POGO ban, the mention of an EPIRA review and the need for the CREATE MORE law. They are also glad that BBM eschewed populism and ignored calls for a legislated wage increase.

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Bagong Pilipino was mentioned only in passing, and its “hymn” was mercifully not played at the SONA. We don’t know if this was merely due to time constraints, or BBM didn’t want to open his report to the nation with an irritant.

He jumped immediately into his report, starting with the issue closest to his heart: rice and agriculture in general. While he said he felt people’s pain, the message, in a nutshell, was that he couldn’t do much about current high rice prices except allow more importations, and open more state-subsidized Kadiwa outlets where the poorest sectors can buy rice at P29 a kilo.

And then it was a long recitation of what the government has been doing in the past year; it was a report to the nation, after all.

Near the end of his speech, BBM quoted the 19th century British philosopher John Stuart Mill: “Let not anyone pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part, and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.”

“Let us always fight wrong and evil. Let us always fight for what is right and good,” BBM intoned, as he urged everyone to love the Philippines and Filipinos.

As long as lawmakers did not agree with him, they need not worry about being struck by lightning.

After the SONA, staunch anti-POGO advocate Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said he approached BBM, who said the senator got what he wanted.

“I am listening,” BBM told him, according to Gatchalian.

If he loves the Philippines, maybe BBM will listen more on other issues.