I Am Not Cerge Remonde But I May Just As Well Sound One

The last SONA of the President was a more fair and objective assessment of the true state of the nation than the ever cynical version of the self-styled political opposition. As all SONA should go, that much has to be said if only to emphasize in real terms the solid economic gains of the past years and to chart what needs to be done and how. It should sound boastful-- perchance to those who ponder the state of the state from the comfort of cafes and hotel lobbies and who really have to heckle and to criticize eternally just to become relevant.

Contrary to the insinuations of the political opposition who are all now in campaign mood, the facts and figures outlined by the President were not just plucked from thin air; they are all hard statistics as reported by local and international observers. The recent upgrade of our country’s credit rating by Moody’s was not a fiction; it was even reported outside our shores. There could not be more fiction than the heir of an empire fitting himself in a padyak and finding comfort with the dirt poor—damn Wharton, damn Wall Street, damn media primadonna wife-to-be. Suddenly, soaked by habagat, he’s more bayan muna than the Saturs and Risas in the street. Fiction. Fiction.

As the national leader, the President has the duty to report our still healthy economy: the balance of payment surplus, the lower public debt to GDP ratio, the historical-high dollar reserves, the million a year additional jobs, the record-high GNP per capita among other positive variables. The figures explain why we stood high among the Asia-Pacific countries amidst the global financial crisis. The figures give us context what we did right and what we should do more to make our robust economy trickle down to the poor, the marginalized and those in the far-flung areas.

The President has also made clear and categorical that her term ends next year. There could not be more direct than that and the political opposition has no right to choose the words that they want it spelled. Until then, there is much to do and the President forged anew her commitment to work even further. As indeed, while the political opposition is already moist-eyed on the 2010 elections and is now busying itself to nitpick and smear the economic gains, the President will be working for nation-building, 24/7 as she always do. If you think I am making a joke here, think again, I am not. If you think I am deluded, well, not as much as those who believe that the presidentiables are whiff of fresh air. You hope, you die.