In the absence of a feasible and laudable plan to re-open schools, I am imagining how homework for many students would be when they are asked: What did you take from the President’s State of the Nation Address?
This exercise is often perceived as perfunctory in civics classes but has the deeper purpose of completing the feedback loop, making sure that the population, especially the young, is aware of the State’s plans, at the very least. Knowingly or not, teachers assigning homework related to the SONA actively take part in the State’s project of “nation-building.”
The role of the annual SONA is no different from sales rallies where company executives show up for their salespersons on the ground to deliver a rousing speech, just to be sure everyone is on the same page. In not so many words, Erap’s best sales pitch was when he exited through Commonwealth Avenue after his speech and met with protesters in the pouring rain; GMA’s was her bringing of three kids onstage and the myth of the bangkang papel. These proved to be effective talking points for their respective administrations’ annual push forward.
This year’s SONA was special. Stripped of the usual trappings and the faux Hollywood vibe, we see the SONA now for what it is. We expected a masterplan for the coming months, formulated for both Legislative and Executive branches, to address the fatal and colossal pandemic. But we got no categorical answers from Duterte. With the twice-a-week feed of “Late Night with Rodrigo Duterte” and the illusion of micro-management it brings, it would have been great to hear a New Year’s resolution of sorts, upon which we could anchor the next three to six months. So while this show of incompetence is not new, it was still disappointing.
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