SONA: No expletives this time FROM WASHINGTON, D.C.

Secretary Cayetano requested me to extend my official stay in Manila so I could attend the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of the president. 

People were expecting the president to spice up his speech with a tirade complete with expletives just like what happened in his previous SONAs, but some of my “cacique” friends were surprised, some even shocked, to see the president sticking to his prepared speech. The “que horror” and “que barbaridad” group even commented that he sounded presidential. 

From what I’m told, the president practiced his delivery, and presidential spokesperson Harry Roque did say that the chief executive would be reading his speech. It was a well-delivered address, which can be taken as a manifestation of the president’s desire to communicate in a different manner. We can expect more of this from him in the next three years.

Surprisingly, the expletives came from people inside and outside the Batasan complex who were waiting for the SONA to begin. They became impatient as the delay stretched on for more than an hour. More expletives could be heard when it became apparent that Pampanga congresswoman Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was voted in as the new House Speaker.

Soon after, jokes started going around about the “dramedy” (drama-comedy) that was happening in the House with tales of the missing mace, the cutting of the sound system, the president’s threat to walk out and inside wrangling behind the scenes.

Not surprisingly, there are those who expressed displeasure at the turn of events, recalling the corruption allegations leveled against the former president. People who have been observing politics in this country for many years said they have not seen such resiliency as the one displayed by GMA.

After all, many have written off her political career when she was placed under hospital arrest following the filing of plunder charges over corruption allegations that marred the latter part of her tenure as president. She spent four years in detention at the Veterans Hospital, during which time she was hardly in the political limelight – but now she has proven herself a tenacious survivor, bouncing back into politics as Pampanga congresswoman and now, the first woman Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Such is the way of politics in this world. And those who say “only in the Philippines” – well, that’s not quite true because there have been so many instances of big political comebacks in other countries throughout history. 

The recent turn of events just proves that GMA has mastered the art of political maneuvering – which is the same everywhere even in the US Congress where a lot of horse trading takes place. But the fact is, you really have to be a master politician if you want to make things happen in the House of Representatives with close to 300 congressmen having their own agenda and pet projects and bills. 

Joe de Venecia was one such master politician, serving as Speaker for more than 12 years (the second longest period after Sergio Osmeña who was Speaker from 1907 to 1922) and putting together the “rainbow coalition” that saw politicians from various parties coming together to support the legislative agenda of the ruling administration party when Fidel Ramos was the incumbent president. Another effective Speaker was Sonny Belmonte who was able to steer Congress to pass a lot of laws that have been previously languishing in the cellar, so to speak.

As former president Joseph Estrada aptly put it, “weather-weather lang yan” – so people should not be surprised if politicians who are in detention today may come out as major political players tomorrow. 

There’s no question the president’s speech was well delivered, and one of the items that reverberated well even in Washington, D.C. was his declaration that improved relations with China does not mean we will waver in our commitment to defend our interests in the West Philippine Sea. The administration’s independent foreign policy, as the president explained, is to “continue to reach out to all nations regardless of their prevailing political persuasions or proximity to or distance from our shores so long as these nations wish us well.”  

This has also been amply communicated by Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano to Washington officials like State Secretary Mike Pompeo and White House Security Adviser John Bolton. 

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I attended the PNP Forum organized by the Manila Overseas Press Club with PNP Director General Oscar Albayalde invited as keynote speaker. Unfortunately, the PNP chief’s mother passed away the day before the event so he had no choice but to send PNP spokesperson Senior Superintendent Benigno “Bong” Durana Jr. in his stead. 

Col. Durana – who was cum laude of the PMA Maringal Class of 1988 and holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from UP – ably represented his boss, sharing the accomplishments of the PNP in fighting criminality and illegal drugs over the recent years.

The PNP spokesman said the first two years of the Duterte administration saw the country’s two-year total crime volume dipping 20.4 percent compared to the two-year period covering July 2014 to June 2016. To date, P23.2 billion worth of drugs that include shabu, marijuana, ecstasy and cocaine has been recovered under the current administration’s anti-illegal drugs campaign.

He also shared the results of a Pulse Asia survey released on the day of the SONA showing that majority of Filipinos consider the war on drugs as the most important achievement of the Duterte administration at 69 percent, with the percentage highest in Metro Manila at 77 percent and among the ABC class at 74 percent.

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