Youth solon describes Aquino’s SONA as ‘puro pabebe lang’

MANILA – Kabataan Partylist Representative Terry Ridon tagged Aquino’s last State of the Nation Address (SONA) as “puro pabebe lang” after staging a protest with other representatives from the MAKABAYAN bloc at the plenary hall on July 27.

In an interview by InterAksyon News, Ridon said they brought the placards to show their discontent to the president. Ridon added they marked Aquino’s term with a failing grade and called Aquino’s SONA “puro pabebe lang” since the president only presented selected issues that will make him look good.

Ridon explained that President Aquino did not present any shortcomings in his term during the SONA and only praised himself. He refuted what Aquino told about the growth of the economy since the poor are not experiencing any positive changes in their situation.

Based from an Inquirer news article, MAKABAYAN representatives displayed their placards describing Aquino as insensitive and a failure after delivering his speech for more than two hours.

Ridon together with Bayan Muna representative Neri Colmenares and Carlos Zarate, ACT Teachers Partylist representative Antonio Tinio, Gabriela Womens Partylist representatives Luzviminda Ilagan and Emmi De Jesus, and Anakpawis Partylist representative Fernando Hicap flashed placards with calls on the pork barrel scam, aggravating human rights violations, Aquino’s puppetry to the United States as well as calls accusing Aquino of being a bully landlord of Hacienda Luisita.

Colmenares, in a Philstar News article, said the president refused to report the real situation of the country. He added that the Filipinos would rather believe if the president said that there are problems of poverty in the country than telling the Filipinos that there are improvements in their way of living.

In addition, Ridon also criticized the K-12 program due to its failed outcome. He added they were dismayed in the first part of the SONA because it sounded like a blame game for the inadequacies in his term.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Sonny Belmonte described the surprised protest as embarrassing and a display of bad manners but he is not planning to file any complaints against members of the MAKABAYAN bloc.