‘The wisdom to know the difference’

Reflecting on reports about what President Benigno Aquino III will declare as the State Of the Nation or SONA, I am reminded of a “prayer” that was written by, or written for young people who have not fully come of age in terms of wisdom.

The prayer goes: “Lord, grant me the courage to change the things I can change; to accept the things I cannot change, and the wisdom to know the difference”.

Today is going to be one of those days.

Before three o’clock this afternoon, President Benigno Aquino III will have to determine and decide exactly what the Filipino needs, must and should hear.

Before he steps on the podium at the Batasan Pambansa or the “House of Representatives”, President Aquino must be certain that what he utters from his mouth are words that are not only true but also “build up” or inspire. His speech must be more than a speech but the vision and the plan that we have all been waiting for.

The SONA must be as real as it can get.

There are already fears that the P-Noy SONA might be “stale” half way through the speech because it contains “old news” or nothing new. And because half of it will be an all out bashing of the Arroyo administration, some fear that the SONA will leave a very bad taste in the mouth of moderates who simply want the government and the country to move on.

There are claims that P-Noy will be talking about his “household budget” for the year as almost gone thanks to Gloria Arroyo. There are leaks that say P-Noy will be talking about poverty and a whole bunch of other stuff that people already know.

Some of P-Noy’s handlers are claiming that the details in the SONA will shock Filipinos. I doubt it. The Filipinos are either so jaded or so desperate and preoccupied with survival to even care about statistics.

When former President Joseph Estrada declared that the government was “Bankrupt” as he entered office, his “shocking news” hardly caused a ripple. It did earn a crease on the receding hairline of then President Ramos who was understandably insulted by the Erap’s SONA revelation.

As I go about feeling the pulse and asking the sentiments of people, it is very clear that Filipinos are not interested to hear “the bad news”. They are not interested in being dragged into the political squabbles of rich families and even richer politicians.

What people want to know is what comes after P-Noy’s anti “Wang-wang” or anti siren and blinker campaign. Ordinary Filipinos are not interested in “short-term, medium or long term development plans.” What they want to hear are “BELIEVE-ABLE” AND “DO-ABLE” Plans.

Last weekend while shopping in Quiapo and Divisoria, the constant heartache of legitimate business establishments who pay for Business permits/mayor’s permits, rent and taxes, was “when will Dirty Harry clean up the dirty City of Manila?

President P-Noy should pay more attention to do-ables such as getting illegal vendors off the streets so customers can actually see, park and enter stores that pay taxes to both local and national government.

Yes it’s not his job, but if he gets the job done, he gets the credit and we all benefit. Right now we are all just suffering.

In the City of Makati, right on the intersection of Buendia and Makati Avenue, Jeepneys fearlessly park and block the road and they are unafraid of the Makati police, traffic enforcers or MAPSA because for some unexplained reason Jeepneys are untouchables in the City of Makati.

Yet all over Metro Manila the full force and technology of the law is used on private motorists, taxi drivers, bus drivers, commercial delivery drivers and motorcycle owners. Apparently there is a Metropolitan-wide MAFIA that protects jeepneys.

Let’s be clear about certain things. I am not anti-Jeepney as I am not anti scooter or Motorcycle. I am simply stating that we must have laws that apply to all and equal justice in applying the law.

The question on most peoples mind is what next? Or Who next?

Filipinos are realistic so they are not expecting to see a crony or a Taipan go to jail for tax evasion, but most of us are seriously hoping and praying to see a long line of corrupt people at the Bureau of Customs, the BIR, the PNP, the Bureau of Immigration, the DPWH being paraded in public and charged for plunder.

It was a serious blunder for the department of Finance to publicize their plans on a pawnshop king, way before they could make the collar, press the charges and parade the guy. We in the industry call the DOF movement: AIDS or As If Doing Something. In other words putting up a show for the public.

Unfortunately that show was quickly replaced by another Horror from the DOF entitled “VATMAN AT THE TOLL”

Perhaps, P-Noy should put his man at the NBI to good work by telling Director Gatdula to come up with a short list, medium list and a long list of corrupt people in government. They can go from Aparri to Jolo and go after ex-politicians who used government money to fund private interests, Mayors who built malls and congressmen who own islands and blocks of commercial properties.

In case President “Noy” wants to do a re-write of his SONA, he could use the line: “What next and who’s next”. –Cito Beltran (The Philippine Star)