Franchises are all the rage. And nothing says ever-expanding multiverse than the annual State of the Nation address.
Clocking in at almost three hours, President Duterte’s sixth and final SONA installment is his longest. This, of course, makes sense if you’ve ever watched the last movie of any series, but we can only count on the fact that they didn’t cut it into two parts à la “Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn.”
And just like any good nostalgia-inducing sequel, callbacks and references were aplenty. There were talks about drugs. The military. Bouts of mentioning China. (Is it even a Duterte SONA if there weren’t any?) SONA 2021 brought to light several talking points that contributed to its Nolan flick-esque duration, albeit the most pressing point (COVID-19) was pushed to the last page like a climactic point.
So, in the true spirit of our tidbit-sized reviews and streams of consciousness, we present you a collection of thoughts that entered our brains during that three-hour fest. Enjoy, I guess.
- Like most SONAs, 2021 starts with a dramatic helicopter entrance that would make Jason Bourne cry. Some things are still on point, at least.
- There are several cuts to shots of frontliners and more stock video-worthy clips of guns (for some reason), which really amps up the level of kitsch.
- Free legal assistance for the police? This list of alleged police abuses would like a word.
- In a “Narcos”-esque plot twist, the gangs of Mexico and Laos have entered the chat.
- “Let me talk again about the drugs” is obviously the tagline of this franchise.
- I gotta tell you: An etymology lesson on the word “barrio” was not on my SONA drinking game.
- “We have taken away the misery of public commuting” is a poor attempt at character development. Our experiences tell otherwise.
- “I’m not making any sexist [comments], I’m just saying the truth. What is the truth? It is there for all to see.” I think I’ve seen this film before…
- “Let’s talk about COVID.” The satisfied sound that came out of me was unbelievable, just so you know.
- Continuity error: At one point, Duterte says we can’t afford another lockdown. At another, he says that we might have to resort to what we did in March 2020. So [Oprah GIF], what is the truth?
- “It seems that this government is too far away from the people.” Well, finally, we can get something from this.
Rating: 1/5 stars. Eh, we could do better.
Read more:
We made SONA 2020 notes, in case you have zero attention span
The most Aries things Duterte said at SONA 2020
7 pre-SONA incidents that scream ‘make it make sense’
Art by Yel Sayo