Analyst slams ‘baseless’ data, ‘corny’ videos in Aquino’s torture-like Sona

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III’s last and longest State of the Nation Address (Sona) was woven with pre-selected figures with no basis, corny anecdotal videos that failed to present the bigger picture, overflowing thanks and generalizations, a political analyst said on Tuesday.

Prof. Clarita Carlos of the University of the Philippines Diliman said the president should have showed data where the numbers he presented could be compared with.

“Unfortunately, hindi naman siya bababa sa nitty-gritty na ’yun, pero what is one sentence, ang tagal-tagal naman ng kanyang speech. Kailangan natin, ano ’yung basehan ng numero mo? Ang nakikita mo lang mga histogram, tumataas, ’di ba? Makikita mo lang mga graphs, tumataas. Ano ang ibig sabihin nito?” Carlos said in an interview with Radyo Inquirer 990AM.

Carlos criticized the length of Aquino’s speech that lasted for more than two hours. She said whoever advised him to have it that long should be fired.

“I think you lose your audience after 30 minutes. That’s the definition of torture. Nakuha ko na ’yung tono and I just got bored,” she said.

Noting that Aquino’s presentation was “patterned” but lacking in structure, Carlos said the data presented in the Sona were “flying around.”

“That’s the problem. Kung gullible ka, you’re going to take the data as they were presented… Ang dami niyang itinago na narrative sa numbers na ’yun,” she said. “That’s it nga when you’re preselecting data. Syempre sine-select mo ’yung gu-gwapo ka.”

“Even ’yung foreign direct investments (FDI) narinig ko ’yun eh. I’m sure kapag kinompare niya ’yun sa inflow ng FDI sa ibang Asean countries, kulelat tayo. And yet the way he presented it parang, ‘wow,’” Carlos added.

Aquino said the country’s net foreign direct investments reached $6.2 billion in 2014 from $1.07 billion in 2010.

‘Tiresome corny videos’

Carlos also said the video presentations of testimonies from beneficiaries were unnecessary.

“This is not to denigrate his accomplishments, I’m simply saying that, siguro, if he had been properly advised, he would not have done all those corny videos, hindi naman necessary eh. They were just too tiresome,” she said. “My God, kailangan mo bang pasalamatan lahat ng tao? Kulang na lang pati aso at pusa pinasalamatan mo. For God’s sake.”

Carlos added that Aquino or any leader for that matter could not claim that he reduced poverty or improved the lives of Filipinos as “seeds were already planted years before.”

“It’s like saying there are 53 million voters and I told the story of two people. You see, anecdotes are fine, but we are looking for the by and large. Kaya nga ‘yung masyadong anecdotal na ’yan, pwede ka namang pumili ng magagandang istorya eh.”

As to the president’s statement that his administration has given hope to Filipinos and made them more optimistic, Carlos said Aquino should not play mere black and white cards.

“That’s a generalization; bakit siya ba ’yung puti, ’yung iba ay kadiliman? That’s the problem when you construct things under two boxes. It’s not two boxes, it’s a continuum,” Carlos said. “Maybe he has given hope, but the public is several public. I don’t know which public he has given hope to.”

Noting that it was easy for Aquino to say that he has given priority to a project, Carlos said the president should have linked certain accomplishments like the modernization of the Armed of Forces of the Philippines to bigger national issues, such as the maritime dispute over the West Philippine Sea.

“Doon sa Philippine Air Force, oo nga nagbili-bili ka nga ng ganito, hindi ba mahilig siya sa mga armas. Eh ano ngayon ang katuturan nito? Dapat nilukob niya ’yun sa kanilang strategy vis-à-vis China and the contested South China Sea. Dapat nakadugtong again sa isang bigger national strategy,” she said.

“You’re just getting bits and pieces of this, they look nice, they sound nice, and the next question is, so what? Ano ngayon?” Carlos added.