3rd State of the Nation Address of PBBM

On 22 July, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. will deliver his third State of the Nation Address (SoNA).

For the benefit of those who ask why the President delivers a SoNA annually, this is mandated by the Constitution. Article VII, Section 23 states: “The President shall address the Congress at the opening of its regular session. He may also appear before it at any other time.”

While the wording may seem that it is specifically addressed to Congress, it is in fact for the benefit of the entire nation. The objectives are to report on the state of the country, unveil the administration’s agenda, and ask Congress to pass priority measures.

The President said he “will also report on the state of the nation in the sense of what are the lives of our people, how are they doing? The economy, how is it doing? Criminality, how are we doing on that? How are we doing on the other problems, social problems, such as drugs, [as well as] the different threats that have been coming at us?”

Based on the foregoing, the talking points and information to be shared with our leaders and all citizens make listening to the SoNA worthwhile. However, some choose this time to discredit and bash the President.

According to the Philippine National Police, “There are applications for permits [to conduct peaceful demonstrations] but again I will not give you anymore [details], rest assured we are 100 percent ready for the SoNA.”

In addition, a lot of traffic rerouting schemes and road closures are to be implemented on the day of the SoNA. Lastly, the PNP will put into effect a three-day gun ban which starts today and will last until 12:01 a.m. on 23 July.

Now while these issues of ongoing rallies, traffic congestion, and increased security are all normal and indeed part of the SoNA, is it too much to ask for all of us to just listen to the President?

Some people are more focused on the above-mentioned issues rather than the message of the President. The default disposition is always in opposition to and against the administration. Some writers and members of the media are not helpful either as they write and create preconceived and baseless narratives about the SoNA. A certain group is exerting effort to hit and question the budget for the SoNA as if the security arrangements and logistics for preparing for the SoNA are free.

The lack of media coverage of the programs and gains of the administration is by no means an indication of its absence or non-existence. It shows where society is and it is not in a good place or disposition. It means some would rather focus on the negatives and just complain.

Let us stop raising the “temperature” in this division. Too much heat and divisiveness have their unintended consequences and we do not want that. Last weekend we saw that in the United States where there was an assassination attempt.

Regardless of political affiliation or inclination, we should focus on the message and receive it with an open mind. Let us listen to what will be said and gauge for ourselves. Let us use facts and base them on what we see in our everyday lives. Let us not let the opinions of others and some detractors affect our assessment of the current state of the nation. Let us be objective as always. We should commend the great things we have seen in this administration but also be vocal to point out the aspects that need further improvement.

See you all next week as we discuss the points discussed in the upcoming SoNA.