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Bacolod City, PhilippinesTuesday, July 24, 2012
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with Ninfa Leonardia
OPINIONS

Going around the SONA

Ninfa Leonardia

Well, it’s over now, the President has recited his report on the state of the nation, and the ladies and gentlemen of both the Senate and the House of Representatives have had their fashion show, and life is settling back again after the weeks of anticipation. The President’s speech, although unexpectedly very long, has been well-received, and, if the reported 100 rounds of applause was accurate, admired and appreciated.

***

I did watch a portion of the event on TV but concentrated more on the peripherals than on the content and delivery, as I did not want to tax my brain by trying to translate as the talk went on. So I noted that the clapping came mostly from the gallery, especially where the members of the cabinet were seated, and not so often from the members of Congress themselves, some of whom tried to look bored by it all.

***

I even noticed that the paneling on the wall behind the President as he spoke was not very well finished, you could see the nail marks, and some of them were quite irregular. Who was the architect, or the interior decorator who took care of the panels – did they never imagine that the “scars” would show on TV? And what kind of wood did they use, shouldn’t they picked the best our forests have to offer?

***

And the ladies! Oh, they did not disappoint. They came in various designs and colors, some with hints of ethnic influence, others looking as if their designers could not decide whether to make them stand out, or shock. For instance, Senator Loren Legarda looked as if she had wings, but not angelic ones, Congressman Lucy Reyes Gomez looked like a debutante in a sweet pink terno, and her daughter who had tagged along was also in a terno.Cute. Dawn Zulueta, wife of a congressman, was stunning, but one hardly noticed her gown because of her very beautiful face.

***

Former movie star Assunta de Rossi, now the better half of Rep. Jules Ledesma, was in old fashioned lace, while Rep. Lani Mercado, who posed with her husband Senator Bong Revilla, wore a gown that had hints of Moro influence. Former first lady and now Congresswoman Imelda Marcos, as usual, was resplendent. She has always been the best model for the terno, you see. But some congresswomen didn’t seem to mind how they looked. I regret not catching a glimpse of Senator Miriam Santiago, but I’m sure she came dressed to the nines, too. I also missed Jinkee Pacquiao and Rep. Cynthia Villar, but I did see presidential sister Kris Aquino and thought she looks quite matronly now. For that matter, I noted that also with other showbiz personalities like Ruffa Gutierrez. I guess their lifestyles show on their faces.

***

Meanwhile, I did get a copy of the President’s SONA, the English version, that is, and I must admit it is quite impressive. We did notice those improvement and accomplishments, you see, and if we had hoped to hear of more, that is but natural. At least he has been doing something, things that can be perceived, but which his usual critics will ignore. One of the things they cannot dismiss, though, is the increasing interest of foreign investors in our country, which was even the subject of an analytical report by the Agence France Presse.

***

He also belied the predictions of his detractors that he would be concentrating on and gloating over the impeachment of Chief Justice Renato Corona, and the detention of former President Gloria Arroyo, subjects that he barely touched. I don’t think he even mentioned their names at all. Ah, but he must have thrilled some cabinet members whom he praised openly, like Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez who must have given him the impressive statistics on tourist arrivals, and Energy Secretary Almendras, though I can’t think why.

***

By the way, I kept scrutinizing the face of President Aquino all the while he was talking and tried to see some similarities to his father, the late martyred Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, but, frankly, could not see any. Not in his nose, his mouth, his eyes, his head, the shape of his face, even his physiognomy in general, I guess the genes on his mother’s side are stronger. And certainly, there is nothing similar to his father in the way he speaks, but I admit I only heard the late Ninoy speak in English.*

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