State of (Another) Nation Address

Published in Mindanao Times 8/23/08

Robert Bly, an American poet, made a disturbing remark that holds true today: "The health of any nation's soul depends on the capacity of adults to face the harsh facts of the time. But the covering up of painful emotions inside us and the blocking out of fearful images coming from outside have become in our country the national and private style. We have established, with awesome verve, the animal of denial as the guiding beast of the nation's life.”

No (in)famous event has forcefully demonstrated the truth of Robert Bly’s remark than Gloria-Macapagal-Arroyo’s recently delivered State of the Nation Address (Sona).