Sona? It’s Soda: State of the nation in distress

“Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build bridges even when there are no rivers,” says Nikita Khrushchev.A few days ago, President Marcos signed into law Republic Act No. 11954, known as the Maharlika Investment Fund Act, meant to be a tool for the government to invest in key sectors and earn profits. The wealth fund is expected to jumpstart the implementation of 194 infrastructure projects approved by the National Economic and Development Authority.

Labeled as an urgent bill by Mr. Marcos in 2022, this bill reeks of so many irregularities in its passage. Spraying cologne in the restroom after doing number two to mask the bad smell makes the original smell, well, more noticeable. The two hoarse voices in the Senate wilderness, Senators Risa Hontiveros and Koko Pimentel, were overwhelmed by the pliant super majority. An idea introduced by Mr. Marcos and then planted in the supermajority in the House of Representatives eventually reached the last ray of hope—back then—for a logical argument in the Senate. But the Maharlika sovereign wealth fund bill stealthily wormed its course into enactment.This bill, now a law, earns the reputation of being developed on the fly—adjusted as it progressed. Definitely railroaded, it can either be the greatest legacy of this administration or its Achilles’ heel.

It will definitely be the star of the show today, July 24, when Mr. Marcos delivers his second State of the Nation Address (Sona). For many ordinary Filipino citizens, it’s more like Soda—State of the Nation in Distress.

Sometimes it is exasperating to be a Filipino. Pwede po mag-leave muna? Why don’t we address the problems on our plate before adding more “food” to the plate of problems? The COVID-19 pandemic is almost an endemic one but health-care practitioners have yet to receive their pandemic-related benefits/allowances; the band-aid solution to our agricultural woes is importation; transportation system is still bad and the upcoming barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections are proving to be the poster boy for the real state of the nation. Per Commission on Elections rules, the official campaign period starts on Oct. 19, 2023. But we are already inundated by tarpaulins on all imaginable public places, pasted with faces of law-abiding honorable public servants. They have found a loophole in the law. As long as there is no “vote” word, the tarps should be allowed.

Pilipinas, ang hirap mong mahalin. Mag-file muna kaya ako ng leave? God bless the Philippines. “Bagong Pilipinas” indeed.

Pamela I. Claveria, MD,

dokceemitch@gmail.com