Flaming red dress, calibrated confident smiles and statistics of GMA do not a State of the Nation (SONA) Address make.

Half of the SONA was the enumeration of trillions of infrastructure projects. Little did people know that, granting those without conceding, our infrastructure is still one of the worst in Asia. Vietnam could overtake us even. We are just trying to catch up in the bottom list.

Not only is our GDP (Gross Domestic Product) small in relative value to others, Asian countries spend 25% of GDP to infrastructure to the country's meager 15%. What are we crowing about?

Over in Tanay where Erap was enjoying "sauna" rather than endure GMA's SONA, the deposed president touched his famed whisker and snorting:" tsk tsk, four of her so-called major infrastructure projects were really my accomplishments."

Palace propagandists brag about the all-time high Foreign Reserves of US$26-billion.

Truth to tell, that compares negatively with Indonesia's US$50-Billion and even a small country like Malaysia has already at US$ 70-billion. Let's stop kidding ourselves.

The greatest tragedy, of course, remains in that while GMA announced multi-billion mega projects, two days after the SONA, Government was asking the people to sacrifice and conserve - because the country would have a shortage of Power and Water. This government cannot even assure the nation of basic necessities and trumpets about super-regions?

Even former president FVR lamented the fact - that side by side ambitious projects - stood the dismal fact that for the third straight year, the Government had no budget for 2008 to back up its SONA plans and will have to rely again on supplemental allocation to get by. Or is this intentional?

Trumpeting the record breaking stock market, the last few days saw the great reversal as the bourse took the third worst one-day retreat in decades - just because Wall Street sneezed. The stock market meltdown confirmed what we had always postulated. Foreign investors are not attracted by the intrinsic values of Philippine stocks since they will evaporate just as quickly as they descend at the first sign of trouble.

This was preceded, of course, by the verdict of highly -regarded Fitch rating Agency who was severely disappointed by the fiscal failure of Government facing a tremendous P 47-billion (against P32-billion budgeted) last quarter.

Who said the Government had healed its fiscal woes? Its collection performance from Customs and BIR are below target and why not?

Partly to blame is the very propaganda tool they used to hoodwink the people that the Philippine economy is good. As the peso "strengthened" from P 55 to P45, the peso values of imports decreased and therefore less taxes. The "favorable" exchange discouraged exports - so why be surprised with the shortfall in tax collections?

Even when the Economic Managers grinned from ear to ear on the peso strength - Juan de la Cruz was asking why then is the price of gasoline and cooking gas still up there? And prices of goods still expensive? Where's "more infrastructure" to show since the dollar-based debt has reportedly diminished?

How come the president never again mentioned the one-time miracle of a 6.5% GDP growth in the 2nd quarter? Because it was not bound to happen again- spurred as it was by election spending disguised as government pump-priming for the 2nd quarter?

Did the BSP not admit yesterday that 2007"s inflation will be higher than 2006? Did non-productive election spending partly account for this? Who is to blame? Who holds the coffers of Government?

Now, there is an impending drought and the rice palay production is beginning to suffer affecting the country's staple food: rice. Import more rice then - or allow the smugglers in to stabilize supply?

A major high pressure area ridge is preventing rains to fall and Luzon and parts of the Visayas will be affected. One of Asia's largest dam is without water- the San Roque Pangasinan Power 345 -megawatt plant had to shut down.

What about our ballyhoed but over-priced irrigation projects who depend on God's merciful rains to fed the dams instead of rivers (Bohol, Cebu, Ilocos Sur and Pampanga?). What will happen to them? Please explain to the people, NIA and its apologists.

The President claimed she created 7 million jobs in her term but every year 1 million of our countrymen leave as OFWs not finding quality jobs in this nation. Education has moved but the rooms, teachers and quality of books are still wanting.

The Botika ng Bayan has lowered prices of medicines to some extent but the slowpokes in GMA-controlled Congress -and aided by grease from pharmaceuticals - had sat on their fat asses and had not approved the Cheaper Medicines Bill sponsored by senator Mar Roxas and Congressman Teddy Boy Locsin.

Noli de Castro reportedly created P 28-Billion worth of housing financing but the housing shortfall for the homeless is still very huge indeed. Out tourism industry is still not to a fantastic spring -with 5 million visitors - a hard target to achieve even as a small place like Turkey brings in a smashing 23 million tourists annually just to view their well-preserved mosques. We are not there yet, ladies and gentlemen- SONA or no SONA.

Even independent senator Kiko Pangilinan had raised eyebrows that the Ombudsman bragged about 77% conviction of graft cases this year compared to 10% in 2002. The Majority Floor leader incredulously asked: Are we in Hongkong? A rhetorical question that did not deserve an answer.

Finally after hearing all those glowing tales of achievements and mega plans, just ask - as a final test - the next 5 persons you meet today: "Are you better off now economically now than last year?"

You don't need a SONA to explain to you the true state of the nation.

For Comments: email to bingo_dejaresco@boholchronicle.com Or editor@boholchronicle.com