Editor’s note: Any opinions expressed here are solely the author’s.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Was Vice President Jejomar Binay’s immediate reaction to President Benigno Aquino III’s farewell State of the Nation Address (SONA) justified?
He was supposed to talk to the media right after the SONA — but immediately left Batasang Pambansa instead in a surly mood.
But who can blame him?
Binay — who sat for over two long hours listening to Aquino giving a laundry list of the administration’s accomplishments and thanking Cabinet members for the most part of the annual speech — was nowhere mentioned during the longest SONA since the Edsa Revolution.
If it’s any consolation (if not adding insult to injury), Binay was actually the first name mentioned by the president when he opened his historic address to greet “Good afternoon” — most likely raising hopes for the vice president since his presence was acknowledged first, along with the country’s former presidents who attended the event.
But this did not happen for the next 137 minutes.
‘E di wow’
Instead, Aquino took potshots at two issues which had been taken as an obvious allusion to Binay.
“Kapag sila raw ang naging Pangulo, sigurado, gaganda ang buhay,” Aquino said.
[Translation: “They said if they become president, lives will improve.”]
The line “gaganda ang buhay” (lives will improve), had been Binay’s campaign slogan. And to this, Aquino gave the memorable answer popular nowadays among youngsters.
“E di wow!” — a retort of sarcasm and incredulity, roughly equivalent to the American expression “You don’t say?!”
Strike two
Aquino also had a mouthful about politicians who want a lifetime stay in power and pushed for the anti-dynasty law.
“Hindi tayo makakasiguro kung malinis ang intensyon ng susunod o kung nanaisin lang nilang habambuhay na maghari-harian para sa sariling interes,” Aquino said.
[Translation: “We cannot be if their intentions are clean or if they just want to perpetuate themselves in power.”]
It can be noted that less than two weeks ago (July 16), during his recent sortie in Bacolod City and other parts of Negros Occidental, Binay broached the idea of an “unli term” or “one to sawa” tenure for local officials.
The Palace reacted to this by saying that term limits were put into place by the Constitution to prevent the rise of another dictator.
Binay’s camp then clarified that the “one to sawa” term only applied to local government units and the vice president wanted only two four-year terms for the highest office of the land.
Strike three
It can be said that Aquino gave glowing praises to almost everyone “except the kitchen sink” — and Binay.
But aside from being left out of the long list, Binay also had to sit down and listen to how the president gave a pat on the back to the vice president’s presumptive archrival in 2016 — Interior Secretary Mar Roxas II.
The president told Roxas that the reason why critics had been trying to put him down was because they were afraid of his integrity, capability and preparedness to deliver service.
And here, Aquino noted: “Mar, pinatutunayan mo: You can’t put a good man down.”
[Translation: “Mar, you are proving that: ‘You can’t put a good man down’.”]
A number of analysts, in fact, had taken this as an “unofficial endorsement” of Roxas for next year’s elections.
But perhaps the most significant — and most profound — commendation that Roxas received was when Aquino included the memory of his iconic parents.
“Tulad ng pagtitiwala ng nanay at tatay ko, magtiwala kang alam ng taumbayan kung sino ang tunay na inuuna ang bayan, bago ang sarili.”
[Translation: “Like the faith of my father and mother, have faith the people know who are those who put the country first before themselves.”]
