The Sounds of his National Address

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor CHERYL CRUZ Desk Editor PATRICK PANGILINAN Busines Editor NIDA A. BUENAFE Sports Editor RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

President Benigno Aquino III will deliver his third State of the Nation Address before Congress today. Although the occasion is supposed to be held for the members of both Houses of Congress, it will also address the entire country that will be both listening, and watching the body language of the one delivering the speech, and those listening in the Hall consisting, not only of its members, but also of the country’s top officials, and representatives of the Diplomatic Corps as well.

Even before the event, the media, local as well as national, have already speculated on what the President will talk about in this report to the nation. Those who belong to his political group expect him to disclose the accomplishments of his administration and his plans for the next three years. On the other hand, those belonging to the opposition have already anticipated him by saying that all he will talk about will be self-promoting reports of achievements that they claim are non-existent, or grossly exaggerated.

Of course there will be the anticipated slamming of whatever he says from the usual protesting groups who are expected to be true to form in bashing whatever he says, as they have been doing to all of his predecessors.

All these will be nothing new as far as this and past SONAS have gone. One thing we have noted, however, is the early announcement from Malacañang that the President will be delivering his State of the Nation Address in Pilipino, or what is known to us in the Visayas and most of Mindanao as Tagalog, the language of several, but not even all parts of Luzon, and also not totally understandable to many of our regions.

It is therefore the Sound of his National Address that concerns many of us in the non-Tagalog speaking areas of the country. We also believe that the decision to use this language is without consideration to, or regard for the members of the Diplomatic Corps invited to the event, or to the thousands of foreign media representatives who will be covering it.

But this is a presidential decision, and neither we in the provinces, nor the foreign guests and journalists who will be present, can do anything about it.*