At the 21 July live airing of Strictly Politics over ANC, host Pia Hontiveros asked us, her guests, what we’d like to hear in the president’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on 27 July. I was formulating in my mind an answer and failed to catch what Mary Jane Ortega of the Ateneo School of Government said in reply. But for most parts, her message was, let’s look at the positive aspects of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s governance, notably, in the economy. Despite the global crisis, we have somehow stayed afloat. This, for the former mayor from La Union, was Arroyo’s main legacy.

Gladstone Cuartero of De La Salle University said he wanted the president to talk about accountability. It was a strong point to make because indeed no one has been held accountable for the many scandals that hounded the eight-year old presidency. These publicized scandals range from deals in the telecommunications industry implicating the Palace (NBN-ZTE), electoral anomalies (the Garci tapes) to major corruptions in the bureaucracy under her helm (fertilizer scam, and recently large-scale acquisition of overpriced rice). To refresh our memory – lest we forget and forgive too soon – see Newsbreak’s Scandals! [hyperlink to http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/special-report/07/17/09/scandals]

I decided to focus on the major source of our political uncertainties in the last months. What exactly are her plans for the rest of her official presidential term and thereafter? Will she, come hell or high water, try to stay in power? More than the powerpoint trumpeting of accomplishments, people will be keenly cued to whatever she would say by way of answering this concern.

So, on this point, this is what I wish to hear from her: a categorical “I will not seek any public office after my term expires and will see through a peaceful turnover of power to the next elected president.” A promise of “no term extension,” such as we find in the House Resolution calling for a constituent assembly, is not enough. After all, a change in the form of government – whether to parliamentary or Norberto Gonzales’s pipe dream of a revolutionary transition government under GMA -- would presuppose a new set of rules and offices that will effectively no longer be covered in the constitutional provisions setting term limits.

So the declaration, to preclude white lies and mischievous manipulation of l/egal processes and the threat of emergency rule, must consist of two parts: retirement from public office and regular turnover to the next duly elected president.

Not that her statements and promises are worth the price of gold. She did say she wasn’t going to run for president in 2004 and she did. But a second broken promise of this order will plunge her current low trust rating to the abysmal depth of eternal damnation in Philippine history, as any attempt to hang on can only be achieved through the use of force and spurious formalities.

***

There are other things I wish I’d hear in this, her last SONA:

“I acknowledge the humanitarian crisis in Central Mindanao where more than 500,000 people have been displaced since the breakdown of talks between the government and the MILF. As such, I will exert all effort to resume negotiations that would immediately restore the ceasefire mechanisms and create other needed modalities to deescalate the violence and allow people to go back to their farms, homes and schools without fear of another displacement.”

“I will not be going on any foreign trip from hereon, much less any side trip, so that I can focus on the socio-economic concerns of our farmers, the evacuees and refugees of natural and our own man-made disasters, and the plight of our overseas Filipino workers.”

But since she is scheduled to leave for a “working visit” to the US in a few days, she would have to add: “Just allow me this one last visit to the United States to finally get the photo-opportunity to shake hands with President Obama. “ And, realizing that Obama’s message to her may not exactly be to her liking, she can be honest: “It is with great excitement as well as fear of a reprimand on the various human rights violations and rumored dangerous political machinations being cooked up by my government, that I am accepting the invitation to visit -- by myself, without my husband of course, and the hangers-on from Congress.”

“I will appoint justices to the Supreme Court who will be above suspicion of any partisanship or affinity by virtue of politics, friendship or blood to my family. It is the least I can do, at no cost to anyone, and as a judicious exercise of appointive powers that belong solely to me -- to gift this country with a Supreme Court of integrity, scholarship and independence.”

“I will not utilize government resources to support any candidacy – neither of myself (since I am not running for any post), the members of my immediate family (well, they are definitely running), or political coalition. Nor will I use government instrumentalities like the intelligence agencies, the police, the military, the COMELEC, the different departments, etcetera, to favor those I wish to win.”

And, by way of retribution, she can add: “I am sorry I did all these before.”

E-mail: mcf178@yahoo.com