Not another vainglorious SONA

By Michael Henry Yusingco, LL.M

It will be his fourth State of Nation Address (SONA). This one will usher in the second half of his 6-year term. The President should resist the call to use this speech to bolster his administration’s fortunes in 2028. Many in his circle of trusted advisors will push him to hype his accomplishments, diminish criticisms, and drum up optimism for the next 3 years. My unsolicited tip, the President should instead speak only about what matters to the millions of Filipinos living paycheck to paycheck.

The SONA is not a rally nor a PR campaign. Of course, the President can mention a few achievements. And offering a hopeful outlook for the next 3 years is not a bad thing either. But the speech should not drown in self-praise or dwell on political opponents. The people must be already tired of toxic political mudslinging. There is no need to drag that craziness into the SONA. Instead, the President should zero in on tangible, clear, and realistic goals that will directly improve people’s lives.

House Speaker Martin Romualdez recently laid out 20 priority House Bills for the 20th Congress and this list is supposed to be the administration’s legislative agenda. These bills cover a wide range — from food security to healthcare, education, digital governance, job creation, and national security. It is clearly ambitious. But pushing for the passage of 20 laws in one year is both unrealistic and a disservice to the public. The President should spurn his first cousin and just focus on what his administration can realistically achieve for the next year.

From the 20 bills proposed by the Speaker, here are five that will have immediate and significant impact on the lives of Gen Z and Millennial voters:

1. The HEART Act– Strengthening the health care system and establishing an emergency health reinforcement team is long overdue. Health care remains a top concern among ordinary Filipinos.
2. Rice Industry and Consumer Empowerment (RICE) Act– This law can provide relief to both farmers and consumers.
3. Expanded Agricultural Insurance Act– This is key to protecting farmers from losses caused by climate and market shocks.
4. National Land Use Act– This can bring order to our chaotic land use policies and support long-term planning, especially in agriculture and housing.
5. Budget Modernization Act– A law that helps cut waste and corruption in government spending is absolutely warranted.

But passing these laws requires more than just lip service. The President should use his SONA to make a strong and public appeal to Congress to exert more effort in building a constituency behind these pieces of legislation. Lawmakers must do their jobs with less politicking and pontificating. For with the right momentum, civil society, local governments, and media can help ensure these laws are implemented properly and their gains felt by millions of struggling Filipinos.

It is worth emphasizing that the intended audience of the SONA is Congress, even though the general public will inevitably hear it as well. The constitution never intended the SONA to be a President’s “performance report” because he should be reporting to the people more frequently. Its purpose is to be the stage for the President to address both the Senate and the House of Representatives. The theme therefore must always be a call to action.

And if the SONA is to be meaningful, then it must rise above the noise of partisan politics. Governance is a day-to-day grind, but the SONA is about direction. If the SONA turns into a self-congratulatory monologue, filled with hollow promises and padded numbers, then it will be worthless. But if the President chooses to speak plainly, to lay out a focused, honest plan for the coming year, then this SONA can still matter, most specially to the millions of Filipinos living paycheck to paycheck.