PCIJ WebAlert #27.2008

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W H A T ' S N E W @ www.pcij.org
30.July.2008


---------------[ PCIJ SONA 2008 Coverage )------

IMAGE SLIDESHOW-PODCAST
Same old, same old SONA

LISTEN once more to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo deliver her state of the
nation address before Congress, this time with images taken by the
PCIJ of the events in and outside the Batasang Pambansa last Monday,
Juy 28.

Watch and listen, and post your comments at http://pcij.org/blog/?p=2415

Another alternative SONA
by Isa Lorenzo

PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s promises mean nothing in the
streets, where the people are out for blood.

Over a hundred politicians cheered and clapped inside the Batasang
Pambansa during Arroyo’s eight state of the nation address (SONA) last
Monday, but thousands more gathered in protest just a few meters away.

Read on and post your comments at http://pcij.org/blog/?p=2414

People's SONA: Arroyo, not global crisis, to blame for poverty in RP
by Karol Ilagan

AT the Batasang Pambansa yesterday, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
delivered the official state of the nation address (SONA). Outside on
Commonwealth Avenue, about 7,000 citizens gathered for the unofficial,
if possibly more candid, version they call the “People’s SONA.”

While Arroyo harped on progress and achievements, the rallyists carped
about regress and her administration’s poor performance in many areas.

Read on and post your comments at http://pcij.org/blog/?p=2413

Hunger, poverty figures the President chose to ignore
by Avigail Olarte

PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today exuded confidence in
announcing in her state of the nation address that she has addressed
the incidence of hunger, even noting how “unfriendly polls” have
registered low self-rated poverty figures.

Arroyo, however, chose to emphasize portions of the poverty surveys
that she could use, choosing to quote results that are no longer
current.

Read on and post your comments at http://pcij.org/blog/?p=2410

SONA pickiness with numbers leaves state of economy hazy
by Malou Mangahas

NUMBERS are by nature neutral, but comparing or picking different sets
across different periods of time is sure to yield vastly different
results. Numbers, in this instance, could confuse.

The lesson is not lost on the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) of
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo; it chose to highlight economic data
as of 2007 that generally recorded progress over 2006 data. But the
PMS, in its 112-page Technical Report on the 2008 state of the nation
address of the President, also chose to deemphasize the bleaker
numbers that portray a national economy on the decline.

Read on and post your comments at http://pcij.org/blog/?p=2409

SONA belies true state of the eduction
by Avigail Olarte

“A MIRROR of denials,” was how a sociologist described the eighth
State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Gloria Macapagal-
Arroyo today.

In her hour-long speech, Arroyo made no mention of her accomplishments
in the basic education sector, apart from a perfunctory line saying
that elementary and high school education is free.

Read on and post your comments at http://pcij.org/blog/?p=2408

Covering the SONA ritual
by Malou Mangahas

THE ritual repeats itself yet again today for the President and the
press.

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, for the eighth time in her presidency’s life,
will deliver her state of the nation address before senators and
members of the House of Representatives sitting in joint session at
the Batasang Pambansa. Relatives, friends and guests of the lawmakers,
and a motley mix of supporters and critics, will secure courtesy seats
at the gallery.

Read on and post your comments at http://pcij.org/blog/?p=2407

SONA 2008: The road to the Batasan
by Tita C. Valderama

A STRETCH of the 18-lane Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City has become
a study in contrast on the day President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
delivers her State of the Nation Address (SONA) before a joint session
of Congress at the Batasang Pambansa, home of the House of
Representatives.

The widened highway toward the Batasan was closed to traffic, with
garbage trucks, tow trucks, container vans and firetrucks blocking
protesters from getting near the venue of the President’s SONA.

Read on and post your comments at http://pcij.org/blog/?p=2404

Tighter security at House for Arroyo's 8th SONA
by Tita C. Valderama

TODAY’S state of the nation address of President Gloria Macapagal-
Arroyo will be different from the previous years in terms of the
stringent security arrangements in and out of the sprawling16-hectare
Batasang Pambansa complex.

“We are trying to be more focused on security after the bomb blast
last year. Unlike before when it was easy to get in, we’re now trying
to be a little bit more strict. And we will have reserved seating at
the session hall,” explains Marilyn Barua-Yap, secretary general of
the House of Representatives.

Read on and post your comments at http://pcij.org/blog/?p=2405