Whose Side Are You?
Philosophy is my new enemy.
President Macapagal-Arroyo is about to deliver her State of the Nation Address (SONA) this coming Monday. This means there will be no classes in schools located in Metro Manila! Hurrah! This also means we are going to enjoy the freedom of having a 3(or four, for that matter)-day weekend! And of course, this also means I can go home to my beautiful province and visit my friendly-friend-friends! *Sana lagi na lang may SONA*
There are, however, more important points to chew over as the seated President share with us her plans for the country. It is to be expected that the speech would cover the changes-slash-improvements made during the interval of her previous SONA. She may also expound on the events she foresees happening and on the reasons for the actions taken and those that will be taken. She might even just repeat some of her finer points made during her last speech.
To tell you the truth, I never really gave much attention to the the political situation of the Philippines. One major factor for this is proximity since we (young probinsyanos) were never directly affected by it. To be frank, I never really cared. All I knew was that Philippines is much better off with GMA sitting on the high chair than wtih ERAP or FPJ (May his soul rest in peace) or de Castro. (Yes, I am pro-GMA. Any violent reactions?)
When I learned that there will be no classes because of the SONA, I asked my classmates why. During my high school, we never got this, ehem, benefit of having no classes just because a person (okay, the most prominent figure in the country - but still!) is about to speak. Then someone told me that it is far safer for people in the Metropolitan to stay at home during this tenuous time to avoid getting hurt when suprise bombings and/or vicious rallies start. All I could say was "Oh." So that is why we don't have classes. Scary, huh?
Studying in the University of the Philippines does not only mean being knowledgeable. It also means you are to be exposed to a society whose main arena is Philippine politics. By this I mean U.P. students are trained to be socially aware, socially relevant and socially active. Thus, we as iskos and iskas are expected to know what is happening around us. But that is not the reason why I am writing about the SONA. That is just too shallow.
Our school is facing a very difficult problem, financially speaking. The government is planning to cut down on the educational budget. It was also mentioned that our once P300 per unit fees would increase to P1000 per unit. That is how much these not-so-rich people will be paying next sem (I think).
I guess this is one of the numerous reasons why U.P. always nag about GMA. They also accuse the Arroyo government for the killings of journalists, rallyists, activists and other anti-Gloria militants. And of course, the eternal Graft and Corruption charges and how she cheated her way to the very very hotseat. These, as far as UP is concerned, are only the icing on top of a big cake of lies built by the administration.
As you can infer from what I've written, I am pro-Gloria. I am strongly in favor of her administration and even the Garci tapes didn't sway me. Of course, I was shocked and indignant at first, but in the long run, my faith in her still prevailed.
As I've said a little while ago, I am not an expert when it comes to political issues but I guess what I know is enough for me to think well of GMA. She is a college graduate (which is more than we could say for our other competitors). She even studied in the States and she has mastered the art of communication and diplomacy. Could you imagine Erap or Noli, speaking as articulately as GMA? No way! They'd probably have bled their noses dry trying.
With her diplomatic skills, we have gone farther and improved our ties with the neighboring countries. We have gotten Bush to visit the country and we have made long-lasting impressions to the other nations. Establishing EVAT and RVAT, for me, is also a very smart move for the Gloria administration. I don't know why stubborn people still don't see that these additional payments are the only option we've got to stop our momentous fall. I know we all hate the burden of more expenses but we just have to keep in mind the long term consequences and benefits of our sarcrifices.
GMA has far more to offer than those wanna-be presidents. We can count on her to see to our welfare. We also don't have to worry of her ever embarrassing the Filipinos in the global scene. She will be bringing Philippines to places. With President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, drastic ang gigantic developments are only just around the corner.
Yes, she may have cheated during the elections. However, it is just as well that she did. Otherwise, we would all end up in the hands of a TV icon whose fame only came about after repeating - for many a time, "Magandang Gabi Bayan."
There are, however, more important points to chew over as the seated President share with us her plans for the country. It is to be expected that the speech would cover the changes-slash-improvements made during the interval of her previous SONA. She may also expound on the events she foresees happening and on the reasons for the actions taken and those that will be taken. She might even just repeat some of her finer points made during her last speech.
To tell you the truth, I never really gave much attention to the the political situation of the Philippines. One major factor for this is proximity since we (young probinsyanos) were never directly affected by it. To be frank, I never really cared. All I knew was that Philippines is much better off with GMA sitting on the high chair than wtih ERAP or FPJ (May his soul rest in peace) or de Castro. (Yes, I am pro-GMA. Any violent reactions?)
When I learned that there will be no classes because of the SONA, I asked my classmates why. During my high school, we never got this, ehem, benefit of having no classes just because a person (okay, the most prominent figure in the country - but still!) is about to speak. Then someone told me that it is far safer for people in the Metropolitan to stay at home during this tenuous time to avoid getting hurt when suprise bombings and/or vicious rallies start. All I could say was "Oh." So that is why we don't have classes. Scary, huh?
Studying in the University of the Philippines does not only mean being knowledgeable. It also means you are to be exposed to a society whose main arena is Philippine politics. By this I mean U.P. students are trained to be socially aware, socially relevant and socially active. Thus, we as iskos and iskas are expected to know what is happening around us. But that is not the reason why I am writing about the SONA. That is just too shallow.
Our school is facing a very difficult problem, financially speaking. The government is planning to cut down on the educational budget. It was also mentioned that our once P300 per unit fees would increase to P1000 per unit. That is how much these not-so-rich people will be paying next sem (I think).
I guess this is one of the numerous reasons why U.P. always nag about GMA. They also accuse the Arroyo government for the killings of journalists, rallyists, activists and other anti-Gloria militants. And of course, the eternal Graft and Corruption charges and how she cheated her way to the very very hotseat. These, as far as UP is concerned, are only the icing on top of a big cake of lies built by the administration.
As you can infer from what I've written, I am pro-Gloria. I am strongly in favor of her administration and even the Garci tapes didn't sway me. Of course, I was shocked and indignant at first, but in the long run, my faith in her still prevailed.
As I've said a little while ago, I am not an expert when it comes to political issues but I guess what I know is enough for me to think well of GMA. She is a college graduate (which is more than we could say for our other competitors). She even studied in the States and she has mastered the art of communication and diplomacy. Could you imagine Erap or Noli, speaking as articulately as GMA? No way! They'd probably have bled their noses dry trying.
With her diplomatic skills, we have gone farther and improved our ties with the neighboring countries. We have gotten Bush to visit the country and we have made long-lasting impressions to the other nations. Establishing EVAT and RVAT, for me, is also a very smart move for the Gloria administration. I don't know why stubborn people still don't see that these additional payments are the only option we've got to stop our momentous fall. I know we all hate the burden of more expenses but we just have to keep in mind the long term consequences and benefits of our sarcrifices.
GMA has far more to offer than those wanna-be presidents. We can count on her to see to our welfare. We also don't have to worry of her ever embarrassing the Filipinos in the global scene. She will be bringing Philippines to places. With President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, drastic ang gigantic developments are only just around the corner.
Yes, she may have cheated during the elections. However, it is just as well that she did. Otherwise, we would all end up in the hands of a TV icon whose fame only came about after repeating - for many a time, "Magandang Gabi Bayan."
*Note: I am not all together sure with the TFI. They are just hearsays.
Let us all stop the bitterness and think of Gloria the better way.
Let us all stop the bitterness and think of Gloria the better way.
