Mallari, Jose Emmanuel P.

SONA 2014-Reaction paper

State of the nation address, more commonly known as SONA, has been the platform for which the leader of the nation lists down what he and his administration have accomplished. The SONA does not necessarily reflect the true state of a country’s well-being. AS Pnoy deftly delivered his speech on his accomplishments and plans he overlooked major issues surrounding his administration. The PDAF and FOI bill were noticeably overlooked.

He often states that his administrations prime directive is to put the nation on the straight and narrow, yet he failed to tackle the issues concerning the “straight and narrow”. His passing over of the PDAF issue shows he has no handle on the situation and is not prepared to take action. The missing FOI bill on the other hand makes it look like that the president has been putting it on the back burner for the past couple of years and it does not look like anything will be pushed through this year.

Issues of omission aside, Pnoy’s speech was well made. The speech itself allowed for the audience, the people, to be invested in him personally. He began with the common mentions of his administrations successes and potshots on the previous administration’s lack thereof. He then continued and gave examples on how his programs were working out, making a few jokes along the way. Overall his delivery was as expected but what summed it all is his emotionality during the closing part. He made it sure that he retains the image of an “Aquino” politician through and through, with passing mentions of his parents and their legacies. About how he is willing to die, live and fight for the Filipinos. I’d rate the whole thing a 7/10, a good speech but a bit lacking in desired content.