Deconstructing Noynoy Aquino's Speech on his 1st year in office

a "sitting" president

(For a full appreciation of this post, please read Philippine 360.com at http://philippine360.com/2011/06/30/president-noynoy-aquinos-speech-on-his-1st-year-in-office-the-truths-behind-the-half-truths/)


A joke was heard shortly after Philippine president Benigno S. Aquino III finished his speech today. This joker asked why did President Aquino decided to present his very first speech on his first year in office before thousands of high school students. 


Answer--because he says, those high school students do not know the real score--their parents do. Mas madaling bilugin ang ulo ng mga kabataan kaysa mga magulang.


Fact is, this is the sad truth. A year ago, President Aquino gave a rousing speech before sectors of different (and differing) persuasions. Thousands went just to hear Aquino talk about his visions, his dreams and his plans for the country. Men, women and children all gathered to listen to what this 50 year old bachelor planned to do for his impoverished country. His speech then was full of hope and to some, hoopla. 


A year past and we see him talking to babes, and dishing out a speech fit only for babes. Where are all the volunteer groups? Those almost fanatical Yellow Army and those volunteers for change? They are no where to be found.


Fact is, some of them were outside the ULTRA--a sad reminder of the kind of politics we have here in this country. This is very sad, and it shows a painful reality--that those who thought that Pnoy is different are now slowly drifting away from supporting his administration. 


Why? Because people expect Pnoy to be different. People expect Pnoy to at least do the right thing. People expect Pnoy to at least do what he promised to do. 


The speech was peppered with rhetoric. It was empty. It just reflected the very sad truth--that Noynoy Aquino's detractors are correct---nothing happened during his first year in office.


He says that people can now sleep soundly at night knowing that Pagasa, the country's weather bureau, is now dishing out correct weather reports. Duh. What happened last time, when Typhoon Falcon unleashed his devastating winds and rains in the Metro? Nearly 30 people died in Davao due to these rains. Pagasa said Mindanao will have clear skies. What happened was the opposite--rains caused rivers to overflow which led to those flash floods. Net result: 27 people killed, scores wounded, 5 remain missing and millions worth of proerty destroyed.


Aquino boasts that he will give 21,000 homes to soldiers and their families, only to backtrack and say that only 4,000 homes are to be constructed.


He says that the conditional cash program will continue and he expects 2 million families to benefit from this. How in the world can he alleviate poverty when 29 million families suffer from extreme poverty?


And you know why poverty rose? Because the economy slowed down. It remains mismanaged. 


Aquino did not even mentioned about foreign investments because the facts will show that these investments went pfft. NO BIG FOREIGN INVESTORS are coming in simply because there is still the perception that the playing field is not levelled enough to risk their monies. Fact is, the economy is now slowly being controlled by the Kamaganak Incorporated. Look at San Miguel--it is prospering under the Aquino administration.


Aquino said that before, Pinoys were dreaming of a visa to work or live abroad. Well, statistics show that the number of Pinoys leaving our shores remain at 3,800/every single day.


Read my take on this at Philippine360.com. 


Seems that Pnoy's speech was really a product of Bahay Pangarap.