Some political observers and media practitioners commented that the justdelivered SONA of President Noynoy Aquino may

have gone into the books asthe SONA that elicited the least applause.Others are quick to add that this is to be expected as the majority of PNoy'saudience -- the congressmen -- may have been directly alluded to in his"shocking" allegations and direct accusations. In other words, the President'sSONA hit the target home.It was a jam-packed but curiously hushed audience of the Who's Who inPhilippine politics that gathered at the Batasan in Quezon City to listen to thePhilippines' 15th president as he delivers his first State of the Nation Address.Here are a hodgepodge of PNoy's pronouncements in his SONA:- On GMA's appointees: if they have shame left, they should voluntarily resign- No to "quota" and "tongpats" in this administration.- Calamity Fund depleted.Taxpayers end up paying for NAPOCOR's debts. Decision based on "wrongpolitics."- On MRT: People's money used to buy a money-losing operation.- Anomalies in use of Road Users Tax.- NFA bought too much rice. Just rotting. Isn't this a crime?- No more unnecessary expenses; all projects will be scrutinized.- Put a halt on waste, wrong projects. Will implement zero-based budgeting.- One case versus smugglers and/or tax evaders per week.- Will prosecute the corrupt and the murderers.Renewed investor confidence under my leadership.- Will build expressway from Metro Manila to Bulacan, N. Ecija, N. Vizcaya,Cagayan Valley.- Government will get the money needed without spending. Will even earn.- Private groups interested in shouldering government infrastructure projects.- Government to lease out military facilities.- Projects lined up to boost tourism, agriculture.Job creation is still first priority.- EO on Truth Commission to be signed this week.- Build railway systems, avoid kotong cops in the process.- Focus on BOT projects; Processes to take 6 months instead of 1 year.- 4- 8-hour business registration process to 15 minutes.- Extend 10-year education system to 12 years.- Will use public-private partnerships to help drive up funds for education.- On Philhealth: Benefits will reach those who need it most.- Government will push for Fiscal Responsibility Bill.- No to monopolies; No to cartels.- To Congress: I ask for your help to amend our procurement law.- Congress should pass National Land Use bill- Renew outdated laws. - Peace requires talks between all stakeholders; will avoid past mistakes of non-consultation. - Let's avoid a repeat of the NBN-ZTE deal.- Whistleblower's Bill to stamp out culture of fear.-Witness protection program to be strengthened.- Talks with MILF to resume after Ramadan.- To CPP-NPANDF: are you ready to present concrete solutions and not justcriticisms?; Government open to ceasefire, dialogue.- Business application processes to be streamlined: from 8-page to 1pageapplication. 36 documentary requirements to 6.- To Media: Guard against abuses in your ranks. Hold to your standards. Be fair and truthful, elevate level of public discourse.- These times call for sacrifices. Sacrifices will be investment for the future.- To the Public: Monitor your leaders; Engage instead of complain.- Education, more opportunities, jobs for each Filipino.- Let's not forget that there are forces that do not want us to succeed and areraring to come back to power.- Our mandate is a sign people are gunning for hope, dreaming of change.Prior to delivering his SONA, the Social Weather Station (SWS) noted thatPNoy's trust rating is at a very high 85%

Filipino, Be a Good Citizen! It never fails to offend me in a profound way whenever I see my fellow Filipinos throw away their trash on the street. I know I shouldn't take it personally, but I do. I see this behavior often among the typical men-on-the-street, but I am sometimes shocked to see this even among college-educated and supposedly pious people. I am appalled to see it even if I've been seeing it for years that I am convinced it's a way of life for many of us. I am offended and appalled because this behavior says a lot of things about us: We don't love our country in its most basic form of expression. We have no discipline. We are spoiled brats, kids who refuse to grow up. We don't respect other people; we think their place is a giant trash can. We don't respect our own selves; we think our place is a giant trash can. Sometimes, if we ever make the mistake of respecting ourselves, we overdo it, to the detriment of others, to the detriment of society. Family first, we say, which means country later. That is, if we don't forget we have a country in the first place. What if someone dumps his/her trash right in our own living room? Will that be okay to us? No. It is with certainty that we'll say, "Not in my own backyard!" Some people have this NIMBY mentality applied to entire forests and rivers and seas, and we know what happened to people and places like some towns in Quezon, Marinduque, etc. But we really need not look far. We are all guilty of the same when we exhibit the same attitude of throwing our trash in the street. We are all inconsistent and hypocritical this way, and someone should tell this to us. We are inconsistent because we find it okay anyway to treat our neighbors as garbage as long as we are not treated as such. We are hypocritical because, when we find ourselves in places like the US or Singapore or wherever, we suddenly turn into lawabiding citizens of someone else's country. That's the only time we make it a point not to throw our trash in people's faces or disobey traffic rules under the policemen's noses. Back home, we make it a point to get around the law, not the least because, hey, the policemen and politicians themselves - our leaders - get around the law everytime! We have no sense of citizenship. We have no self-respect, and in cases where we appear to have, we have it at the expense of others. We are bad citizens of our own country (yet always good citizens of other countries). We have no pride of place. We have no sense of country. We don't like doing the hard job of nationhood. We don't like working on it, and yet we complain all the time doing nothing! We are selfish. We are bad Catholics. We are bad Christians. We are a damaged culture. We ourselves treat our country as garbage; no wonder we're all inside the trash bin! Behold! The glory that is grease! The grandeur that is rubbish! This has to stop. Now! If you have the power to tell this message in a better way to a lot of people, then, please, do so. This offensive and appalling state of affairs is the true state of the nation. You only have to go out in the streets and see the amount of trash to see for yourself. Forget about what GMA said yesterday. Let's only take a look at ourselves and see if we have nothing but ourselves to blame.

3. Filipinos are hopeful but uncertain of the future ahead. We have always been a country of optimistic people. We know there is hope but we are not sure how to translate it to reality. What then must we do? Understanding the current state of the nation is just the first step. The next thing to do is create a common goal then plan how to achieve it. The government, however, cannot be tasked to do this alone. Everyone must contribute his share. How exactly? We can start with the following simple but useful ways. Do a good thing everyday. Stop littering. Dont waste water. Obey traffic rules. How wonderful would the world be if each one of us does a good thing everyday, no matter how trivial? Vote in the 2010 elections. The world is run by those who show up so make our voices heard by voting in the elections next year. Choose leaders wisely. We deserve the leaders we elect, they say. Thus, if we want change, we must elect people who have a vision for the country and the willpower to effect change. Be successful in whatever we do. An individuals success adds to the collective success of our nation. If we all work towards achieving personal success, there is no doubt a successful Philippines will follow.

The state of a nation depends entirely on its citizens. Yes, the current state of the Philippines is bleak and awful but is this how we really want it to be? Its time to change the state of our nation.