A TALE OF TWO SONA’S
As an academic, aside from teaching philosophy, sociology and theology, I also teach how to structure researches, how to make an understandable speech or how to evaluate an essay, etc. I have been doing this since I started teaching 31 years ago.
Today, we have a comparison of two speeches before us. Since the second SONA (July 29, 2020) is quite clear, understandable and logical, I let it stay. It is quite refreshing to listen
However, I took great pains in trying to detect the outline of the first SONA (July 27, 2020). This is what I usually do when correcting a paper of a student who does not know how to make himself clear, or someone who could not organize his thoughts. You can listen here: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzwFhzr0Ni)
After second guessing his outline, I give corresponding grades – pass, pass with revision, fail and retake the course. Let us see in the end, what the ratings are after the evaluation. Here is the outline of the first speech:
1. VACCINE. On Corona virus pandemic and hope for a vaccine
2. ABS-CBN. They are oligarchs; he being a victim of the Lopezes in the last election
3. FRANKLIN DRILON. He defends the owners the media network and was irked by referring to his children as oligarchs. He blames Drilon for being a framer of 1997 water concession.
4. DRUGS AND THE CORRUPT. The dealers of illegal drugs are back; the grafters take advantage of the pandemic even in the donation and assistance to the sick and destitute “but not for long”.
5. ACHIEVEMENTS. Pantawid Pamilya program, postponement of the Barangay and SK elections; Salary Standardization Law of 2019; National Academy of Sports; Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act; processing of building and business permits, passports and drivers license.
6. BONG GO. He praises him for the Malasakit Act.
7. 30th SOUTHEAST ASIAN GAMES: “Indeed we won as one”
8. STRONG ECONOMY. “Our fiscal position is strong, our economic and fiscal management prudent and our banking system robust.”
9. INFRASTRUCTURE. He praises the Build, Build, Build program and pushes for more infrastructure projects.
10. DRUG WAR. He intends to fight the pandemic with the same strength as he did with the drug problem.
11. HUMAN RIGHTS. He coopts the human rights language to say that freedom illegal drugs, terrorism, corruption and criminality is a human right.
12. OVERSEAS FILIPINO WORKERS. OFWs lost jobs and returned home; he pushes for the creation of the Department of Overseas Filipinos
13. COVID-19 RESPONSE. He admits of “difficulties” in his pandemic response on test capacity, distribution of aid
14. PASS URGENT MEASURES. Congress to pass some urgent measures – “Bayanihan to Recover as One”; CREATE Act that gives financial aid to investors and for Banko Sentral to allow for loan payment extension to MSMEs
15. TOURISM. He calls for people to travel locally “once the necessary systems are in place”.
16. VACCINE AGAIN. He pleaded with Chinese President Xi Jinping to provide us with the vaccine and extend a load if we need to buy it
17. EDUCATION. Face to face classes are prohibited until the vaccine is available; provision of online learning; TV frequencies be given back to the government to be used for education purposes;
18. GLOBE AND SMART. Telecommunication companies need to improve services by December or else…
19. OTHER MEASURES. He pushes to increase the number of health workers to the barangay; Congress to pass the Nursing Education Act, Medical Reserve Corps, National Disease Prevention and Management Authority
20. BARANGAY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. To solve the problem of threatened communities (communist insurgency), he will implement the Barangay Development Program where the military plays a great part.
21. MARTIAL LAW IN MINDANAO. It “ended without abuses”.
22. DOF. He pushes for the creation of the Department of Overseas Filipinos.
23. DEATH PENALTY. He asks Congress to pass death penalty by lethal injection
24. DRUGS AGAIN. “Galit talaga ako sa droga”.
25. OTHER MEASURES AGAIN. National Housing Development bill; Rental Housing Subsidy bill; amending Continuing Professional Development Act of 2016; Unified Military and Uniformed Personnel Separation, Retirement, and Pension Bill and the modernization of the Bureau of Fire Protection and the Bureau of Immigration; National Land Use Act
26. PROTECTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT. He asks Congress to pass the law on Boracay Island Authority; Department of Disaster Resilience; Coconut Farmers’ Trust Fund; plant, plant, plant program and P66B agricultural stimulus package
27. US BASES. He rejects the Americans coming back to Subic.
28. SOUTH CHINA SEA. “China is claiming it. We are claiming it. China has the arms, we do not have it… Talagang inutil ako diyan. Wala akong magagawa.”
29. CRIMINALS. “Patong-patong na naman ang patay dito. Sigurado hahanapin ko kayo. Do not ever go back to your old ways.”
30. OPENING UP THE ECONOMY. Opening up of the economy to pre-COVID-19 levels is not an option.
31. WE ARE BEING TESTED. Have faith in the government and let us take care of one another
32. BACK TO DRILON AND THE OLIGARCHS. “And why are you fumigating?” The speech abruptly ended with the rant against the oligarchs. Quite anti-climactic in fact.
RATING. In the end, I give the second SONA the highest grade of 1.0 – for its clear objectives, logical exposition, relevance to context, good syntax and choice of words, understandable concepts with concrete examples, etc.
I give the first SONA the grade of 5.0 – for its absence of logical structure (I do not know where he would like to go), no clear objectives (I do not know what he would like to do), lack of emotional appeal, and foul language not fit for a written article or oral delivery. I also notice that the original text is not the same as the oral delivery. A bit of digression is permitted in speeches. But reading the original article I am afraid would yield the same result. Moreover, I have not yet verified the truth, accuracy and relevance of the items mentioned. That would be an assessment in another level.
RECOMMENDATION. I will give back the first SONA to the writer/speaker and tell him to retake the course next year. Preferably not under me. I am afraid that he will fail again if he does not change course.
Daniel Franklin E. Pilario, C.M.
St. Vincent School of Theology
Adamson University
danielfranklinpilario@yahoo.com
07.30.2020