That rainy SONA

By Pamela Pangilinan

It was raining like hell that day. Thousands of people along Commonwealth Avenue did not seem to mind the shower. Red flags were waving; wet placards were everywhere while policemen couldn't wait for the day to end. Mrs. Arroyo was sputtering empty promises and made up accomplishments in front of her bored congressmen and senators.

While trying to listen to the muffled voices of the speakers on the stage, my thoughts persistently wandered on something else. Has he eaten his lunch yet? I hope he doesn't catch pneumonia. I wonder where he is. After coming up with excuses to look for him, I finally gave in. Foregoing the umbrella (just in case he sees me first, I don't want him to think that I'm such a sissy missy), I looked for the avocado green flag to catch a glimpse. Just a glimpse, I told myself.

Then there he was, sitting under the rain, satisfied with the company of comrades to keep him dry and warm. As usual, looking so unkemptly cute. Not heeding the promises I have made, I walked up to him and tried to sound nonchalant, "have you eaten lunch yet?" For whatever reason, his yes sounded like Freddie Mercury belting out Bohemian Rhapsody to me. Okay, he was still doing well. I tried to calm myself, didn't look at his eyes, because otherwise "I'm dead". I had to summon all the strength left in me not to stare in his heavenly eyes, just to be sure that I will be able to maintain an intelligent conversation, least a coherent one with him.

And that scene was from SONA (State of the Nation Address) two years ago.

What has changed? Nothing much really. The reasons that drove the people to the streets to call for the ouster of Gloria two years ago are the very same reasons that they have for this year. More and more people are hungrier than they were two years ago, in fact.

Well, after past and present governments decided that we need to have more hectares of land for golf courses, super malls, subdivisions, cash crop plantations, and mining than for rice fields, it won't take a genius to solve the rice crisis. Most unfortunately, we're not only out of rice, sense and logic among Mrs. Arroyo's political and economic thinkers seem to have run out before the rice did. And so the dimwits decided to import more rice. An imbecile government official one time gallantly mentioned in an interview that we are very lucky because the price of rice in our country is much cheaper than that of Vietnam's. Then someone please explain to me why on earth are we importing rice from Vietnam?

Motorists and commuters for months now are not thanking God when it is Friday. It is because oil companies are increasing their prices every Friday. In the defense of these weekly price hikes, the oil cartels are whining that business is not good and they are "nalulugi". If they refer to billions of pesos in profits as "lugi", then how much blood do we need to bleed just to make business good for them? The government, not missing a beat for media mileage, announced that the high cost of oil is a blessing in disguise. It encouraged everyone to think economical or healthy and take the LRT and MRT instead, or ride bicycles to work. I, even before this weekly price hikes happened, was forced to shed off pounds and inches just so that I could squeeze myself into overcrowded couches of the MRT. I have seriously contemplated of buying a bike to save on fare, but have you seen those red plated SUVs zooming along EDSA? I would rather die of natural causes. I have seen pink fences, pink urinals, pink waiting sheds, pink islands constructed in every corner of Metro Manila, but I don't see any bike lanes for those who are braver and more adventurous than me.

Mrs. Arroyo's government imposed 12% VAT on petroleum products, just so she can have the people line up to collect their one time "pantawid kuryente" assistance worth P500. Why not forget VAT and at least make the hard life easier? But oh no, she would not. She would rather have the people from Tondo, Payatas or Commonwealth wait in queue under the sun to a get a morsel of the money stolen from them. She, in her less that five foot frame has reduced the poor people to beggars.

It has been 2 years since that rainy SONA. Nothing has changed much. The Filipino people still do not have land to till, decent jobs, food on the table, and access to social services. We still have crooks for government officials and a stealing, congenital liar for a president who fattens up her husband with the people's money.

The people have the same reasons why they are protesting on the streets.

It has been two years now since that rainy SONA. I still worry that he might catch pneumonia when it's raining, still wondering if he has eaten lunch. He still is the same unkemptly cute person that he was two SONAs ago. What has changed? I now have the liberty to be lost in his eyes without the fear of revealing how I feel. I do not have to worry about not having any intelligent thing to say. Why, this man hangs on to my every word no matter how mundane my chosen topic is. (Had I known!)

Also, I do not miss out the umbrella anymore. Good for me.

You know what, I know three people who made promises two SONAs ago. But only two kept their promises (Gloria was not one of them). Why? Because we still have the same reasons for falling for each other as we had that one rainy SONA.