President Rodrigo Duterte will give the first of his six State of the Nation Address (SONA) today amid a resounding vote of approval from the public based on a Pulse Asia Research Inc. survey released last Wednesday, July 20.
The survey which drew 1,000 respondents from across the country showed that 91 percent of Filipinos trust the new president while nine percent are either undecided, ambivalent or don’t trust him.
While it’s still his first month in office and every new president, even one like Mr. Duterte who started lambasting everyone that incurred his wrath prior to his assuming office like the Catholic Church, the media and even the United Nations, is entitled to a honeymoon period, the 91 percent approval rating is nothing to sneeze at.
And to his credit, the President managed to tone down his temper without sacrificing the steely resolve and toughness that marked his decades-long rule as Davao City mayor.
He also complemented this sheer tenacity with a mandate for himself and everyone in government to live simple, austere lives while in service. Among his first orders of business was for every Cabinet official to forego luxury trips and sports utility vehicles and make do instead with nearly spartan accommodations and utilitarian vehicles.
Even the choice of menu at the presidential inauguration reflected President Duterte’s simple lifestyle as guests were offered Mung bean soup with bits of dried fish, bread with cottage cheese (kesong puti) and fried banana fan fritters (maruya or pinaypay as they call it in Davao City).
Not a few would call it overacting but Filipinos for the most part welcomed the change since it also recalled former president Benigno Aquino III’s denunciation of the sense of entitlement felt by every elected and appointed official—the so-called “wang-wang (siren)” mentality and “epal” credit-grabbing on projects and programs.
The President promised to keep his first SONA simple and 30 minutes long but there are expectations that he will talk about the continued campaign against criminality and illegal drugs.
Owing to his unpredictability, one wouldn’t put it past President Duterte to make good on his threat to name the mayors and local officials implicated in the illegal drug trade.
The President had designated the Marines and the Special Action Forces (SAF) to guard the national penitentiary which houses the country’s top drug lords.
Or maybe it would be more of the same exhortation and “sermon” on government officials and employees to cut down on red tape and become more efficient to their clientele, the Filipino people.
Whatever the President plans to talk about in his SONA, he is assured of a captive audience and we hope he can motivate and inspire the Filipino people to achieve change that will benefit them and the country.
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