IT was a more laid-back President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. who stepped up the podium yesterday to deliver his second State of the Nation Address before a jampacked Session Hall of the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City.
A year into his presidency, Marcos has shed the last tinge of self-consciousness from his first SONA, launching into his 73-minute speech with the confidence of one born to the job.
For the second year in a row, the Chief Executive showed respect for time showing up in the plenary at 4 p.m. in his traditional Barong Tagalog attire and starting his speech promptly at 4:05 p.m.
Other than lawmakers from both legislative chambers, also in attendance were Vice President Sara Duterte, members of the Cabinet, the judiciary, and delegates from the diplomatic corps.
Former Presidents Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo were also present although Marcos’ most immediate predecessor and the Vice President’s father, Rodrigo Duterte, was a no-show.
Where before Marcos dwelt on promises of what his administration can deliver with a cautionary tone borne of the after-effects of a global health crisis, this time around he injected hopeful notes in reciting the recovery of Marawi City from bombed rubble, saving the jobs of thousands of Filipino seafarers, getting overseas Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia paid for income lost during the pandemic, and ending armed insurgency.
Along the way he also learned to borrow a couple of tricks from his predecessor to jolt his languid audience to wakefulness — issuing threats against smugglers and hoarders of farm produce and talking tough against law enforcement officials linked to the illegal drugs trade.
He milked the audience for applause a respectable 72 times.
The second SONA piece painted a rosy picture of multi-billion physical connectivity infrastructures that smoothly skimmed over the question of funding construction and maintenance.
Lost in the telling are the potential far-reaching effects of the President’s proposal to modify procurement laws and the auditing code as the crowd chose to hear only about free dialysis sessions and free tertiary education.
The second SONA may not have brought the gallery on its feet but it would be a mistake to think it unremarkable.
RESTING
Former president Duterte skipped the SONA to get a much-needed rest after returning from a trip to China, according to Sen. Christopher Go.
Go, who served as special assistant to Duterte before he was elected senator in 2019, said the former president is “very exhausted” as he just flew in on Saturday night.
Duterte was also absent during Marcos’ first SONA.
Duterte hogged the headlines last week after he went to China and met with Chinese President Xi Jinping after attending the inauguration of a university building in Fujian, which was named after his mother Soledad.
Go said he has not talked to Duterte since the latter went on a trip to China but said Duterte “knows his obligation” to inform President Marcos what transpired in his talks with Xi.
SPEECH REVISIONS
Presidential son Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos said his father personally wrote the speech but had it revised “a lot” to make it short enough to keep the attention of listeners.
“He wrote the speech and asked for people to look it over. It was nice to have a fresh set of eyes after writing and writing it again,” told reporters hours before the President’s speech.
The younger Marcos, a senior deputy majority leader, said the President rehearsed the speech only once last Sunday when they were together and he found it to be a good one.
“It started long, it was much much longer than an hour and 20 minutes, an hour and 30 but he was able to get it done,” he said. “To begin with, it was kind of long but he was able to shave it down a little bit.”
Meanwhile, Vice President Duterte wore a traditional Maguindanaon dress to pay homage and celebrate the Moro tribe living mostly in Central Mindanao.
Her SONA dress is a “Bangala” paired with a trouser and a flowing “inaul” or “malong.” The Bangala features gold accessories that symbolize the wealth and abundance of Mindanao’s natural resources.
Inaul is a Maguindanao fabric intricately handwoven using cotton and silk. It is a treasured cultural gem that reflects the pride, bravery, heritage, and history of the people of Maguindanao. — With Raymond Africa and Wendell Vigilia
