DU30's SONA 2018

Some 15,000 protesters on Commonwealth Avenue. (Photo by the author).

23 July 2018 was sunny all day. Typhoon Josie has left Metro Manila although a light rain came after President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has delivered his State of the Nation Address 2018 and after his effigy dubbed DU30-train has been burned.

The protest march came from two directions and met under the overpass before the Ever department store. The religious organizations led by priests and nuns assembled in the vicinity of St Peter's church then moved toward the merging point. The massive group comprising the familiar left-of- center organizations marched from the Quezon Memorial area preceded by the DU30-train effigy,

Labor issue. (Photo by the author)

Commonwealth Avenue was as colorful as the broad spectrum of issues, causes, advocacies and interests of some 15,000 participants from participating organizations.

It was a peaceful assembly. The police contingent near the stage was relaxed, watching the assembly and listening to short speeches of representatives of the organizations. One speaker read the message of Sen. De Lima which dwelt on the 'shortcuts' that DU30 employed in his governance.

The news went around that something was going on at the Batasan, which explained why DU30 was already late in his report to his countrymen. Former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo had toppled House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez. Apparently a compromise was agreed on; hence, it was still Alvarez who stood at the rostrum with Senate President Vicente Sotto III to open the bicameral session.

Nuns and other religious were in the march. (Photo by the author)

Of course, DU30 had been saying that he will just read his speech and promised that it would not take him long to do that. He did just that with a few adlibs. The delivery would have been totally lackluster except when he stressed some points for which he received applause.

The first jolt came shortly after greeting of the distinguished guests and his reminder of the two-year war on drugs.

"The war against illegal drugs is far from over," he said, and then explained why this will "not be sidelined."

"Instead," he fired, "it will be as relentless and chilling, if you will, as on the day it began." This has been reverberating in the print, broadcast and social media.

Spokespersons for women issues. (Photo by the author)

With regard to corruption, he thanked Congress for the 'swift passage of the Ease of Doing Business Act, which is a significant fight against corruption and improving service delivery.'

He enjoined government agencies to make their services "truly customer-friendly." "Our people deserve efficient, effective and responsive government services," he stressed, and "they deserve nothing less."

Because of the power struggle at the House that day, the Bangsamoro Organic Law was not ratified. Duterte asked to be given 48 hours to sign it once that has been done.

"I make this solemn commitment that this administration," he declared, "will never deny our Muslim brothers and sisters the basic legal tools to chart their own destiny within the Constitutional framework of our country."

Furthermore, he iterated his pledge "that the ISIS terrorists or groups or its allies will never gain foothold in our country."

DU30 caricatures. (Photo by the author)

He spoke of continuing "to assert and pursue an independent foreign policy" in out international relations.

With regard to "our improved relationship with China," he said that this "does not mean that we will waver in our commitment to defend our interests in the West Philippine Sea."  He clarified that "opening lines of communication and amicably managing differences have led to positive development that include renewed access of Filipino fishermen in the areas in dispute in the West Philippine Sea."

DU30-TRAIN effigy set to flame. (Photo by author)

There were several tasks that he implored Congress to address --

• Pass the bill establishing the Coconut Farmers' Trust Fund;
• Draft terms of reference for the entry of a new industry player "to ensure that the country's telecommunications services are reliable, inexpensive and secure;"
• Pass the free Tertiary Education Act and the increase in the salary of men in uniform, soldiers and policemen;
• As a result of the actions in Boracay, pass the National Land Use Act "to put in place a national land use policy that will address our competing land requirements for food, housing businesses, and environmental conservation;"
• Passage of a law creating the Department of Disaster Management, which is aimed at "genuinely strengthening our country's capacity for resilience to natural disasters;"
• Passage of Package 2 of the comprehensive tax reform program that will "lower corporate income taxes, especially for small businesses;" and 
• Speedy passage of the Universal Health Care Bill;"

He ended his SONA with a happy note (that he has received copy from the Consultative Committee of the draft Federal Constitution) and his favorite quotation from Abraham Lincoln.