So the reported plan of the group of former President Rodrigo R. Duterte to hold its own rally at the Liwasang Bonifacio in Metro Manila to jibe with President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s 3rd State-of-the-Nation-Address (SONA) did not materialize?
Why? What happened when there was strong anticipation that the group would compete with the traditional protesters during SONAs for the attention of the people? Was the group unable to get a permit to hold a rally or a “Prayer Assembly?”
Or were the leaders and work horses of the group uncertain if they could get their supporters to come to the rally? May be the leaders can have their most credible justification for the non-holding of their own version of protest by using the bad weather as their excuse. Meaning they would not risk the health of their followers by braving the rains.
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We also read in local newspaper reports yesterday that a rally did indeed happen at Davao City’s Freedom Park organized by the activist group Alyansang Makabayan- Southern Mindanao. The expectation of many Davaoenos, including us, that a possible merging of the ideologue Alyansa and the politics-inspired group of former President Rodrigo Duterte could have been worked out, did not materialize either.
What intrigued us more is the reported number of participants to the activist-organized rally. That is, that only some 50 or so delegates from various groups came and joined the activity. Of course the figure was certainly an estimate and not a head count. Why the huge dwindle? Nevertheless, whoever made the estimate or gave such low figure we suspect that his or her or their intention is to downplay the impact of the protest rally, assuming that it has made an impact on the President’s SONA.
Anyhow, the overall review of the President’s SONA the other day is more than good no matter how his detractors saw and heard it. He reported substantial gains in the country as well as a number of socio-economic development and huge infrastructure projects completed.
The President also laid down major programs and projects that his administration intends to undertake during the last four years of his administration.
The most applauded portions of the President’s SONA was when he reiterated his administration’s stand on the West Philippine Sea dispute and on his bold announcement of the total ban in the country of the Philippine Overseas Gaming Operations (POGO).
Of course there is one common adage that says, “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” Simply put, the Filipinos will only truly enjoy the fruits of the promises of the President as mentioned in his SONA once all the commitments are attained or even just started.
For now most of the promised “Shangrilas” are still nebulous. So, in the words of the late Davaoeno Senator Landring Almemndras, “Let us to see.”
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Indeed, conspicuously absent during the President’s July 22 SONA were former President Rodrigo Duterte and daughter Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio. According to reports the former President was in Davao City. There was no mention whether he listened to the President’s SONA, or doing something else.
In the case of Vice President Sara, she mentioned earlier that she was not attending BBM’s SONA because she’d rather attend to various work at the VP’s office. And that various work included her travel to Bohol on the day of the SONA to visit the wake of the Vice Governor of the province who died earlier.
We have no idea if Congressman Polong Duterte and his brother Mayor Baste attended. But if the two did attend they would likely be focused on camera.
However, given the present state of relation between the Dutertes and Marcos, Jr. even just thinking of attending the SONA was farthest from the former’s minds.
