PNoy’s Sana

“SANA maulit muli?”

Right before the State of the Nation Address (Sona) last Monday afternoon, a TV program host told her interviewee, “My train of thought got lost.” Hmmm. She has a train of thought?

But it was my train of thought that did get lost while watching PNoy deliver his Sona. I slept, woke up, slept again, woke up again, and he continued to go on and on about the sins of the immediate past administration, his administration’s achievements, and his yaya’s initiative in preparing food for a meeting’s guests with him providing only the most basic details required such as, People will be here for a meeting. I imagine she could whip up a dinner for two or a hundred people at a moment’s notice without him telling her the estimated number of attendees to that meeting. Wow. Talk of ESP. Kung sa Bisaya pa, Epektibo ug Sakto nga Panghunahuna.

Which could not be said of some politicians who have no ESP at all as they focus on themselves instead of the madlang pehpohl they’re supposed to serve.

But I guess PNoy felt he needed a basis of comparison for his achievements. Using the immediate past administration as that basis might have been comparable to me looking up to the “voluptuous” Hollywood actress Melissa McCarthy as the epitome of the perfect body, but it does make his administration look good if compared to that of former-president-now-detained GMA. She allegedly grafted and corrupted, while he has not been rumored to have dipped a finger into the national treasury–that’s the kind of comparison that will make anyone look good or bad depending on who’s doing the comparing.

According to some TV show hosts, the latest Sona lasted for about two hours and 15 minutes. Oh. I thought it was two days and 15 hours.

The speech that lasted for an estimated two hours and 15 minutes mentioned Hello Garci, Jose Pidal, the Maguindanao Massacre. That’s for the negative past.

For the positive side of things, it had this: “Kaya ko. Kaya ng Pilipino. Simula pa lang ito.”

But as PNoy himself has noticed, no matter how good things have become in Pinas, there are Pinoys who are still not convinced: “Siyempre po, kahit kaliwa’t kanan na ang ebidensiya ng pagbabago, mayroon pa ring kontra sa Daang Matuwid. Ang hirit nila: Mabagal daw tayo. Kapag sila raw ang naging Pangulo, sigurado, gaganda ang buhay. Sa mga medyo may edad po, ang isasagot dito, ‘Ah, ganun?’ sabay taas ng kilay. Para naman sa kabataan, iba na raw po ang tugon nila sa ganoong pahayag, iba na daw po ang uso ngayon eh: E di wow.”

Yes, Vice Ganda’s favorite line made it to the Sona.
If you’ve been hibernating within the safe and secure barangays of Davao City and have no idea what PNoy was aiming at, the favorite presidential campaign mantra of Mr. Frozen happens to be “Gaganda ang buhay.” That is, “gaganda ang buhay” once he, Mr. Frozen, morphs to Mr. President in 2016. E di wow. Or should I say, Ah, ganun?
The TV screens inside the plenary hall showed the faces of potential presidentiables Mr. Frozen, Sen. Grace Poe, and Interior Secretary Mar Roxas when PNoy started talking about the 2016 election. Not in photo were Sen. Miriam Santiago and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte who may or may not join the fray.

Some Mindanaoans are now saying they’ll vote for Duterte of course. If this is how Pinoys vote, then I wonder if show biz celebrities will vote for Poe, and if the people of Makati will vote for Mr. Frozen. And if Santiago is assured of the votes of those who bought her books, “Stupid is Forever” and “Stupid is Forevermore.”

They are the five possible presidentiables next year. Unless you want to add one more candidate so you can go back to Eraptions such as this: “May babaeng field reporter lumapit kay Erap para interviewhin siya. Biglang pinindot ni Erap ang boobs ng reporter. Reporter: ‘Baket mo ginawa yun?!’ Erap: ‘Nakalagay kasi ‘press’.’”

The Sona didn’t mention the Freedom of Information bill but PNoy did say, “Panahon na para ipasa ang isang Anti-Dynasty Law.” Baby steps? Like, anti-dynasty today, FOI tomorrow?

If you want to understand how this present administration works, here’s a part of the Sona that could give you a bird’s-eye view: “May mga nagtatanong pa nga rin po: Nasaan ang resulta ng Pantawid Pamilya? Sagot po natin diyan, ‘Naman.’ Ang akala kaya nila, itong Pantawid Pamilya ay parang mahiwagang tabletang kapag ininom ng kinder, pagkatapos ng ilang oras ay college graduate na? Baka po kulang sila ng pagkakataong mag-aral kaya tululungan natin silang magbilang: 13 taon ang K to 12, samantalang 6 na taon lang ang aking termino. Nahahalata tuloy kung sino ang medyo matinding mambobola.”
Patience is a virtue? Oh well.