MANILA - As far as Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) President and Jaro Archbishop Angel N. Lagdameo is concerned, this year’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) “was prepared very well and logically with the accomplishments of the administration.”

The 68-year-old prelate said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo does not stand alone in the success stories she relayed on Monday afternoon.  

“There are hundreds of people who stand with her as co-achievers for the success,” he said.

He said he listened intently to the SONA because he had called on everyone to listen to her address.  

Lagdameo said he wanted to listen to President Arroyo’s failures “because many other people are also responsible for these failures.”  

Condone CARP debts

Commenting on Arroyo's references to agrarian reform, Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma said it is not emancipation from the Land Bank of the Philippines that is needed by the farmers.   

Arroyo called on Congress to "condone P42 billion of land reform liabilities since only 18% have been paid since 1972."

"Napapanahon dahil it will unfreeze the rural property market. Ang mahal kong ama ang nag-emancipate ng mga magsasaka. Ii-mancipate naman natin ngayon ang titulo," Mrs. Arroyo said.

But the pro-agrarian reform prelate said “the farmers need sources for credit in their areas and that was the very intention of Land Bank.” 

Ledesma added the farmers are in need of other services for them to generate more produce and make their operations more viable.”  

He said more studies are needed on what Mrs. Arroyo meant by emancipating farmers from the Land Bank and making them more self-reliant.

As far as Episcopal Commission on Social Communications and Mass Media Executive Secretary Fr. Francis Lucas is concerned, he said President Arroyo’s SONA this year was full of “motherhood statements and statistics,” but “lacked clarity.”  

Although he credited the administration for its infrastructure programs and the country’s Gross Domestic Product growth, “the grassroots still continue to struggle for much better lives.” -- report from a press release of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)