The President’s SONA 2009

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The President’s State of the Nation Address which lasted more or less an hour has tackled a wide variety of questions plaguing the country. The speech which was started with a prayer for the health of former President Corazon “Cory” Aquino has elicited numerous applause from the audience. The clapping which seemed to start every few sentences the president uttered has grown into thunderous levels when Mrs. Arroyo has cited boxing champing Manny Pacquiao as an outstanding example of a Filipino.

Pacquiao was not the only person the president has drawn attention to as few more people where mentioned as proof of the Mrs. Arroyos accomplishment during her term.

During her speech, she has mentioned the results of her usually criticized trips abroad have resulted into more jobs for the Filipino people. She has also mentioned that in her visit, King Abdullah pardoned OFW”s detained in Saudi Arabia, Spain becoming the country’s largest European donor plus a few more accomplishments resulting from her excursions. Mrs. Arroyo once again praised the hardworking Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW’s) who have greatly contributed to the Philippine economy. She has also given particular attention to teachers, adding an apology for her partiality with the teaching profession because she was once an educator herself.

Mrs. Arroyo has also answered the most asked question prior to her State of the Nation Address.

“I never expressed the desire to extend myself beyond my term”, she mentioned in response to the many allegations that she has no intention of coming down the presidential post. She even expressed her wish that the aspiring presidents would talk about “how they will build up the nation rather than tear down their opponents” and advised:

“To those who want to be President, this advice: If you want something done, do it hard, do it well. Don’t pussyfoot. Just do it.”