MANILA — What will President Arroyos State of the Nation Address (SONA) be about?
As the guessing game mounted over the Presidents nationally-televised address before the joint session of Congress tomorrow afternoon, even Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye could offer only a tentative sense of what the SONA will be about.
“We expect this SONA to center on what the President cares about most: the people and the economy,” Bunye said in The View From the Palace, his weekly column that comes out tomorrow.
He stressed, however, that “this SONA will not be a political speech; it will not be a rhetorical speech. It will be about what people want: a clear economic direction for the nation and a plan detailing on how we are going to get there.”
“The people want to know where the next job is coming from. The President will tell them,” he added.
Other members of the Cabinet were likewise unsure of the exact content of the Presidents speech. The SONA is a “work in progress,” Bunye said.
One thing is sure, though: people have had enough of politics, they are tired of it. And so is the President, he stressed.
Bunye pointed out that the “President knows that there is no magic wand or silver bullet that will make all our woes go away. She knows, as do the people, that you must get up everyday and work hard to make progress. That is what the people do; that is what the President does. As such, the President will focus on the bread and butter issues that are of greatest concern to the nation.”
He said the Chief Executive is also likely to paint a picture of the Philippines as a country focused on fixing problems and eliminating poverty.
He noted that the first two phases of the Presidents economic agenda were already in place, namely fiscal prudence and increased revenues; and No. 2 greater investments in jobs, infrastructure and education.
Its now time get on with Phase lll of the economic plan, which is to “build up the natural assets of our country,” Bunye said.
He said the President would likely highlight in her SONA the importance of a strong economy. “She believes that a good job, a good education and strong local economies are essential for the nation to come together and achieve world class status.”
“In short, we expect a SONA that will provide an economic wagon which we can board together,” or together, be left behind, Bunye said. (Office of the Press Secretary)
