UP prof gives Duterte’s Sona a ‘passing’ 2.5 grade

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte does the thumbs up gesture while delivering his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Joint Session of the 17th Congress at the Session Hall of the House of Representatives Complex in Constitution Hills, Quezon City on July 23, 2018. ROBINSON NIÑAL JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

A “passing” grade of 2.5 was given to President Rodrigo Duterte for his third State of the Nation Address (Sona) by a University of the Philippines (UP) professor and political analyst on Tuesday.

Political analyst and UP professor Clarita Carlos said she gave the President’s speech a grade of 2.5 or an 80 percent passing grade, noting that Duterte has only been seating as Chief Executive for two years.

“Mga 2.5 kasi there are only 700 days. The President was right. Some of these projects are just starting, some are still being talked about, dumadaan dun sa napakamadugong procurement procedures eh,” she said in an interview with Radio Inquirer.

“It’s a passing grade kasi mahirap magbigay. I can give a very high grade for agriculture, a fairly high grade for foreign policy, a fairly high grade for some other areas,” she added.

Despite giving the President a generally passing grade, Carlos evaluated the administration’s police operations and marking it with failing grade of 5, saying that the President has not yet “submitted his requirements.”

“For our continuing concern sa transparency ng police works, I will give a 5 there kasi hindi pa niya nasu-submit yung requirements ko. Ibabagsak siya dun. Medyo pagtuunan niya ng pansin yun,” she stressed.

Regarding Duterte’s objection to suspend the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law, Carlos said the President was not in the place to explain the issue, and instead should be assisted by the concerned agencies.

READ: Duterte rejects calls to suspend TRAIN law

“Dapat tulungan si Presidente ng mga finance people niya, economists, people in the know, para malaman saan nanggagaling yung inflation… but that was not his place to explain dapat lahat ng mga relevant agencies ang nage-explain niyan, in more simplified terms, sa publiko,” she said.

Meanwhile, the sudden oath-taking of Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as the new House Speaker, replacing Pantaleon Alvarez, was compared to a “tragicomedy” by Carlos.

“Nakakatawa nga ‘eh. Parang tragicomedy. Ganyan naman talaga ang pulitika. We have a broken political party system. That’s not surprising to me anymore,” said Carlos.

According to Carlos, she sees the election of Arroyo as a “plus” since Senate President Vicente Sotto and the new House Speaker were once allies.

“Ang nakikita kong plus jan, nagsaliksik ako ng kasaysayan, yun palang si Sotto at Arroyo ay, once upon a time, were allies so maganda yan because that means na siguro masusulong nila yung dini-declare ni Presidente na urgent na legislation,” she said. Syrah Vivien Inocencio/INQUIRER.net intern  /muf