Nene: SONA a waste of time

Senate Minority Floor Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. believes the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Monday would be just a waste of time.

In a press conference yesterday, Pimentel said that since he lacks interest, “I would definitely not attend the SONA.”

He said the yearly SONA has not served its purpose at all because laws in the Philippines have been functionless and unbeneficial to Filipinos.

The Mindanaoan senator believes it is the federalization system of government that would speed up the development of the nation since it will help drive away the causes of insurgency throughout the land.

Pimentel and 16 other senators have lifted back the proposal on federalism through Senate Resolution No. 10, which seeks to “convene Congress into a constituent assembly for the purpose of revising the constitution to establish a Federal System of Government.”

He is presently embarking on a massive campaign to inform majority of Filipinos about federalism and how it would help uplift the Philippines from its present situation.

Recently, he had been to Misamis Occidental to attend a public forum in which he explained the SRN 10.

Yesterday, he served as resource speaker of a pre-SONA public forum facilitated by Kaabag sa Sugbo and the University of the Philippines Visayas Cebu College.

Pimentel said his next stop would be Iloilo, Davao and some parts of Western Visayas where he received invitations for guest speaking.

Meanwhile, Kaabag sa Sugbo, which represented the civil society during the gathering, admitted it is not entirely supporting Pimentel’s proposal on federalism.

Kaabag has been batting for federalization since 2002, later than Pimentel’s proposal which started since the 1970s. The group announced a series of public forums in Cebu on federalism, especially in urban poor areas. — Jessica Ann Pareja/LPM