“We have been very hungry and thirsty for a reason to again feel pride as a Filipino.”
Last week was a rollercoaster ride. It was a week of lows and highs.
Depending on which political side to which one belongs, the last State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Rodrigo Duterte was met with much anticipation or trepidation. It was disturbing to see Duterte losing his balance and almost stumbling (again) as he was walking.
Since this was not the first time, it seemed that even the simple act of walking is now a challenge to the aging head of the country. This is concerning especially for his family, friends and allies, and for the whole nation because the state of the president’s health is a serious concern.
People had expectations of the SONA but certainly, no one thought it would last for two hours and 46 minutes. Duterte loves to talk and (like in previous addresses) many times deviated from his prepared speech and resorted to his usual rambling manner of speaking. He tried to, but could not really control himself from threatening to kill people, and uttering his favorite cuss words.
Those in attendance at the plenary of the House of Representatives for the SONA were obviously Duterte’s close allies. Who else would clap at almost every sentence from Duterte, even the most inane, but his fandom?
Obviously for this president, the biggest problem of the country is not the still raging COVID-19 pandemic, but drugs. It was drugs then, and it still is drugs now. Needless to say, his campaign promise of ridding the country of illegal drugs in three to six months is a huge failure.
People wanted to know how his administration would defeat COVID-19 especially since the pandemic has been ravaging the country for almost one year and five months now. Metro Manila and nearby provinces have been under various forms of quarantine for the same period, and more and more Filipinos suffer from worsening poverty and experiencing anxiety. Ending the pandemic would have been a good legacy for Duterte’s administration.
But it was not to be so. It was such a disappointment when the President instead focused on drugs, and merely said that the answers to this terrible plague were vaccines and prayers.
Duterte’s last SONA was a huge letdown. It was not inspiring at all. It did not offer the country a roadmap to recovery. It did not give people a reason to hope. It did not rally Filipinos to be united in defeating COVID-19.
His last SONA was nothing more than his usual “talk to the nation” addresses, only, he had as audience his political allies who were only too happy to oblige him with generous doses of applause.
On the other hand, this SONA has strengthened the resolve of many to do better in the next elections. This is not a president that the Filipinos deserve. Patriotism was rekindled by Duterte’s SONA, not because he inspired it, but because of how he disregarded people’s aspirations.
In the evening of the SONA, the country was greeted with the wonderful news of Hidilyn Diaz’ success in bagging the gold medal at the Tokyo Summer Olympics. This woman athlete who was red-tagged by the Duterte administration, and who had to virtually beg for support to be able to compete, gave the country our first Olympic gold medal. She won over her closest rival who was from China.
The news of Hidilyn’s success was met with much jubilation by a nation that is very hungry for good news. It also provided them with some respite from the just finished SONA that got people so riled up. The country’s first gold medal gave the Filipino people a reason to celebrate for a change.
Hidilyn’s successful bid at the Tokyo Olympics was sweet but it was even sweeter because she is a woman, and she vested her Chinese opposition. I shed tears when for the very first time, the Philippine national anthem, Lupang Hinirang, was played in the Olympics. It warmed my heart to see Hidilyn passionately singing our country’s song behind her face mask. I was filled with pride as a woman because of Hidilyn, and as a Filipino when the country’s flag was hoisted ABOVE China’s flag. It was a glorious moment.
It was a heartwarming experience to, for once, see and hear our country’s foremost symbols given the respect we, as a country, deserves. Maybe this is because for the last five years, we have felt repeatedly disrespected. Our country’s sovereign rights have been disregarded and set aside by this administration that is supposed to defend the country’s honor and sovereignty.
We have been very hungry and thirsty for a reason to again feel pride as a Filipino. We wanted especially to prove to China that the Philippines is a co-equal nation and that it cannot continue to occupy our territories and rob our resources. We have been wanting to show Duterte that we can go against his friend China.
Duterte’s SONA gave us a reason to renew our patriotism in our quest for better public servants who will protect the people’s rights and the country’s sovereignty. Hidilyn rekindled and gave us the opportunity to proclaim our patriotism.
As Hidilyn very aptly said, “I defeated China, kaya natin.” Indeed with patriotism, we can.
@bethangsioco on Twitter; Elizabeth Angsioco on Facebook
