The Philippine Online Chronicles

If you watched the State of the Nation Address (SONA), it’s interesting to note the similarities between Pres. Aquino with his mother, former Pres. Cory. One can’t help but feel nostalgic as he walked up the steps of the Batasan to deliver his first State of the Nation Address.

They both start the same way. “Mga minamahal kong kababayan” (My beloved countrymen) is both their opening salvo. One can’t help but feel endeared to both Noynoy and Cory when addressing the nation in such a personal manner. Cory delivered most of her speeches in English, while Noynoy gave his first SONA in Filipino.

They both lambast the corruption of the previous presidency. Noynoy has GMA, while Cory had Marcos to thank for the mountainous debt and issues they both inherited. They both painted a realistic picture of the nation given how it was mishandled and how government coffers were utilized for personal gain.

P-Noy quickly got the attention of the people by dispensing with the sugar coating and going straight for the true state of the nation. In recent years, this is probably the first time the Filipinos are hearing the true state of the nation! I don’t recall GMA saying how far into debt we were. Instead, each SONA became a parade of the common man’s life getting better as a result of the administration’s work.

Both address land issues and justice concerns. Pres. Noynoy is pushing for a truth commission and a land bill, while Pres. Cory brought to attention the many human rights violations during martial law and eventually passed the CARP under her administration.

Both come off a simple people inadvertently thrust in the political arena. Cory made no qualms that she was “a plain housewife” before becoming the President. Noynoy is able to give a speech without coming off as a trapo, despite his many years as a Senator. It is probably because of this that both mother and son seem so sincere and earnest when giving a speech. Both Aquinos did not make extensive use of Power Point and other graphic presentations (in fact they never did), nor did they bring in to the Batasan indigenous tribal members or another Mang Pandoy.

Both have an unshakeable and unwavering faith in God. Both mother and son express their belief and show how they use their faith in God to guide their actions. To paraphrase, with good on our side, how can we not achieve greatness?

Both did not have a spouse. Once again, we have a presidency that does not have a first lady or gentleman. In the case of Cory, it was because of widowhood. In the case of Noynoy, it is because of his chosen bachelorhood. The Aquino sisters did come to show support, just as they did during their mother’s administration.

There is a parade of yellow. It’s quite nostalgic to see people wearing yellow and raising yellow banners to show support of the current administration, much like Cory was basked in a golden glow by her supporters till her death. Outside the Batasan, finally, the rallyists present were there not to complain but to actually show support. Is it just me who didn’t notice, or were there really no burning effigies in this SONA? There was one with bubbles coming out of the effigy’s hand, but that’s hardly the same as one being stamped and trampled out by a lynching mob.

There is a promise of hope. The magic of the Aquino family is that they are able to inspire hope in a divided nation. P-Noy in his speech said “Pwede na muling mangarap”, which is a tall call for a nation mired in poverty and hopelessness. Surprisingly though, people do hope. There is a level of optimism that is palpable even within the halls of the Batasan. The Congressmen and Senators that came all said that they wanted to hear what the President had to say because it was a new administration. Senator Alan Cayetano said “Let’s hear what he has to say.” In Philippine politics, that’s huge! Even Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casino attended the SONA after purposely boycotting in the last few years.

It is a fact that the presidency of both Aquinos is largely due to sentimentality, Cory—because of the assassination of her husband Ninoy, and Noynoy—because of the recent death of his mother. Both presidencies came at the heels of a previous administration mired in scandal, human rights abuses and corruption allegations.

There’s no doubt that Pres. Cory was a kind president and was sincere in her desire to help the nation. Her presidency was marked by several coup attempts, although there were no corruption and electoral cheating scandals to the same degree as the previous administration.

Let’s hope that Pres. Noynoy can do a much better job in terms of economic development, and deliver on his promise of a transparent government. Let’s hope it’s not all rhetoric and sincerity, but a true deliverance of results and authentic change. The bottom line isn’t how well they give a speech, but how well they do the job.

Oh yes, we like the similarities, but hope for a better president—a president every Pinoy deserves.

Photo by Peter Baltazar of Creativoices.net and screencap of Cory from Youtube video. Some Rights Reserved.