As in years past in this Arroyo regime, the real state of the nation address that Filipinos should be hearing is the growing anger permeating in the hearts and minds of the people about the hopelessness and despair that is gripping the country. There is also a growing division in this country between those who oppose the Macchiavelian rule that President Arroyo has chosen to use and the Arroyo allies who chose out of selfish economic/political need to defend her. This political domestic strife that is growing by leaps and bounds appear to be drowning the country's effort to crown its people with socio-political and economic empowerment. The state of the nation today is one of a President trying to evade the various truths that the Filipino people seek to find to put closures on to such controversies as the 2004 presidential polls, the ZTE-NBN deals, the misuse of agricultural funds for election purposes, and other controversial issues. Unless these are resolved and it appears it will never be resolved unless Arroyo steps down, the state of the nation shows a large number of Filipinos who no longer respects and believes the sitting President.
Suspicions are also strong around the nation that President Arroyo might lead the insidious drive being pushed by her allies in Congress and with the support of the bad sector of the military to change the form of government to parliamentary and extends her rule as a Prime Minister. Until now, as the SONA event
gets closer, President Arroyo has remained silent about her plans for the country and for herself. Instead of contributing to clarify various issues considering that she is the country's foremost leader, Arroyo is purposely putting the country in a state of suspended animation. But by doing so, Arroyo should understand that she is going deeper and deeper in the quagmire of her own doing. While she is emboldened to execute what she planned to do to extend her hold to power by her sheer control over the country's PMA-bred generals and misguided military officers, this attempt to ride "in the back of a tiger" to gain total power will never succeed. Even her trip to the US after her SONA is of no significance. What will President Obama tell her except maybe to advice her to step down and allow a newly elected President to rule the country? Not even the issue of combatting international terrorism will force the United States to prop up a discredited leader who has lost the support and respect of her own people. Thus, the SONA that President Arroyo will give on July 27 will not tell what is really happening in the country. It will not heal a divided nation nor will give a common Filipino an inspiration and a headstart to a life of hope and contentment.
