TURNING POINT: SONA 3: Finding Alice

NAAWAN, Misamis Oriental (MindaNews / 18 July) – The State of the Nation Address (SONA) is a report of the pilot on how the rickety ship of the country has fared in traversing treacherous seas and his survival plan for days ahead. [President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will deliver his third SONA on July 22.]

In foreign relations, how he maneuvered to protect the country’s sovereign territory, avoiding a direct collision with an avaricious China, a giant bully that aims to swallow and drain the West Philippines Sea.

His moves to rally allies to secure a balance of power or terror in South China Sea.

How he would stop the insidious intrusion of China inland in embedding spies that has evidently succeeded in hijacking grassroots governance.

What he has done and how he would continue in dismantling the serfdom accommodation legacy of Duterte of China, particularly his Philippines Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) brainchild that leaves tell-tale trail of human trafficking, money laundering, cyber scam, forced labor, torture and killing.

At the domestic fronts, how he brought down the price of rice to P29/kg at Kadiwa store, which is getting closer to his elections promise of P20/kg.

And, of course, promises and more promises:

To bring down the prices of other basic commodities, particularly power and water.

To bring more investments and create more jobs arising from his foreign junkets.

To improve the quality of education by streamlining the K-12 program by linking it productively to the industries, preparing graduates for employment or self-run enterprises.

To strengthen Internet connection across the land, providing free WiFi in public places to facilitate safe online transactions in business and government services, digitalization of records and database, and improve access to learning or educational materials.

To relocate to safer grounds sinking and drowning communities that are directly affected by rising seawaters impacted by government reclamation projects and by the phenomenon of global warming and climate change.

Finally, to find (Mayor) Alice Guo (of Bamban, Tarlac) and kin and resettle them at the air-conditioned Senate custodial center so that the most publicly awaited Teleserye in the Senate hearing on Guo and POGO could resume immediately without any distraction.

(MindaViews is the opinion section of MindaNews. William R. Adan, Ph.D., is retired professor and former chancellor of Mindanao State University at Naawan, Misamis Oriental.)