Sona should focus on the President’s report and plans, not on fashion and glamour

If our democracy is strong, if human rights are respected, and if just peace is what we value, then why do we need to deploy over 22,000 cops just to prepare for the State of the Nation Address (Sona)?

Article VII Section 11(5) of the 1935 Constitution states that, “The President shall from time to time give to the National Assembly information on the state of the Nation, and recommend to its consideration such measures as shall judge necessary and expedient.” It is now known as the Sona.

Expectedly, it is an obligation of the head of the state to report/account to the people the current situation of the country, inform Congress about the important legislative measures to carry the plans out, and to offer to the public the priority agenda of the government for the year. Sona, theoretically, is an occasion when the Filipino people and the world would listen to the report of the President, somewhat submitting a report to his “boss”—the collective Filipino people—on the analysis and direction setting of governance.

The Filipino people deserve better. We are always pushing for high hopes that our lives would be better than today. Sona is the day when we will analyze the depth and the ability of the president to grasp the basic economic issues of the people, the political landscape of the country, the sociocultural impact of the economic and political situation, and the purposeful, deliverable sound plan of governance.

Likewise, it is more abhorrent that often Sona feels like a time for pomp and circumstance by the powerful/political glitz, charm, and glamour rather than what it should be—a reporting to the people on the accomplishments and next priorities of the administration. Sona, in the congressional hall, is not an occasion when lawmakers, officials, and spouses flaunt their glamour and wealth in clothing. In a society where there is a sharp gap between the rich and the poor, having this display of abundance and fascination over fashion, especially by elected officials, is not only insensitive but callous.

We look forward to a meaningful direction of governance, including the alleviation of poverty, salary increase of workers to living wage, addressing the agricultural problem faced especially by peasants, curbing corruption, and protecting natural resources, asserting national sovereignty and defending our patrimony. These could be a shorter version of the long wish list of our people.

Protests and mobilizations of people to express their rightful demands on Sona are to be welcomed with listening ears, sans threats and intimidation.

It is so alarming that the drumbeating toward that day includes the deployment of over 22,000 police officers within the vicinity of the Batasang Pambansa, and 31 border control points within Metro Manila. In addition, there will be a strike force of 4,405 officers from the Reactionary Standby Support Force of the Philippine National Police and 500 individuals from volunteer groups.

The National Capital Region Police Office’s intention is to ensure public safety in case demonstrators stage protests. There is no public safety to speak of when the rights of the people are undermined and repressed. Rather, it is the other way around, democracy is threatened by the presence of police forces who take advantage of their might and uniforms to threaten and undermine the rights of people for expression and assembly.

If police authorities want to ensure public safety at all times, they should first respect human rights, especially of the poor who most of the time are victims of atrocities and violence, e.g., war on drugs.

Norma P. Dollaga, [email protected]