President Duterte has not delivered his much-awaited State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the time of this writing but I expect him to come out as triumphant as the Pacman did on Sunday morning.
I always anticipate that he would not beat around the bush, instead reporting the country’s state of affairs and telling it like it is whether or not he sticks to his prepared speech.
Unlike the entertaining parrot who preceded him, the President does not seek to impress especially with the Bisaya accent and broken Tagalog that freaks out a few condescending and self-righteous members of the audience.
He would rather speak from the heart, much like how Senator Manny Pacquiao fights “for God and country.”
So, do not expect Manong Digong to talk in a perfunctory manner as he would take on every issue at hand, giving his all blow by blow.
Halfway through his six-year term, his leadership has effected significant change that the previous five tenants at Malacañang altogether have failed to accomplish.
The Duterte administration’s economic managers have slowly but surely directed a sustainable and truly inclusive economic development. Yung nararamdaman ng karaniwang Pilipino.
I am fully convinced that Manong Duterte’s election to the Presidency in 2016 was a result of divine intervention to save this nation from threats from within and from outside incursion.
As we now all know, the Chinese expansion began during Cory Aquino’s administration and the eventual pullout of the U.S. military bases, after the left-leaning Senate rejected the extension of the Military Bases Agreement with Washington.
From then on, China simply creeped into the Philippine sea territories, even building artificial islets. Unlike Noynoy Aquino who repeatedly met Chinese President Xi Jinping and then resorted to badmouthing Beijing, Manong Digong has done a great job keeping things civil and diplomatic between Manila and Beijing.
And, while Manong Digong’s detractors continue harping on the “Chinese Syndrome,” they are silent about the clear and present danger posed by the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist movement and the communist CPP-NPA ambuscades of police and military troops in the countryside.