Real state of our nation/city

Officials will soon be addressing their national or local constituents to report their State of the Nation Address (SONA) or State of the City Address (SOCA). It will, again, be interesting to compare their address with that of the constituents.

What do you think is the state of our nation, our city?

There will be agreement that our nation is now within the COVID-19 pandemic. There will be no debate that no one knows when the pandemic will end.

Versions will diverge on whether the governments handled or are handling the pandemic effectively and whether the governments had/have any clear, holistic policy to protect all, to save lives, and to contain the virus.

The SONA will not focus on the rising cases, the increasing deaths. Instead, the attention of the Filipinos may be directed to the higher number of COVID cases in the US or Europe. Expect silence about the Philippines having the most number of cases among the ASEAN.

In the city, most likely, attention will be called instead to the increasing number of recoveries and the low number of deaths compared to other areas. Never mind, if Cebu City has been or remains as the epicenter of COVID-19 throughout the Philippines.

Also, do you think the SONA and SOCA will assess the positive/negative impacts of the various quarantine protocols imposed throughout the country and the cities?

What reports will they present about people’s well-being and the economy?

Will their reports be evidence-based, with reliable data to support their statements?

Alongside the SONA/SOCA addresses, our people can share the real state of our nation.

The displaced jeepney drivers have been driven to beg, many others have lost their jobs or their daily source of livelihood. Add the 11,000+ ABS-CBN employees who will be unemployed soon.

The number of hungry Filipinos has doubled. No doubt, hunger will continue to be experienced by more unless concrete effective measures against poverty, hunger, and unemployment will be announced during the SONA/SOCA and immediately implemented.

What about the plight of the PWDs and our students? Have the vulnerable groups been provided welfare and other public services for their needs? Seniors have been grounded since March yet certain insensitive governments, unmindful of their health and protection, have required them to queue for assistance or senior pensions.

Millions of students still have not enrolled. Not all can enroll online, not all have the gadgets for online classes. Not all will also want to risk going to school when the virus is still active and spreading in various parts of the country. How can the national and local governments provide education for students during this pandemic? The people will want to hear their clear doable policies about education on all levels.

The commuters can also share their situation. Months into the pandemic, governments still have to provide transportation options for them, with the transportation for the masses --jeepneys, tricycles, trisikads, habal-habal suspended. Are safe bike and pedestrian lanes already ready to be offered?

Migrants have lost jobs, many even their lives because of COVID. Stranded abroad or away from their hometowns in the Philippines, what measures do the governments have now that the former celebrated heroes are among the millions unemployed? As one migrant worker supports at least one household composed of at least five members, will the SONA/SOCA address their needs?

What about the businesses and industries? How many have closed, how many need assistance and support? How will the governments assist the economy from here on?

From their podium, the officials will render their version of the state of the nation or city. From the ground, the people, their realistic state of our nation.

Never the twain shall meet.