I CANNOT refuse a personal request from an avid reader of The Manila Times to tackle a seemingly important aspect of the national ritual called the State of the Nation Address, or SONA.

As I always said, the SONA every fourth Sunday of July is where Filipinos of various persuasions really become one in watching the president give a report to Congress about his accomplishments and his vision for the nation. Thus, aside from the traditional protocols and the customary protests, the lawmakers and guests get this one annual opportunity to be noticed and further their advocacies. Thus, the SONA has become a fiesta, or even, as one news report quipped, "The Oscars of the Philippines."

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