Do You Ever Get Tired of SONA’s?


I do. It’s so ironic when something that happens only ONCE a year can be so tiring to listen to. Tomorrow’s SONA (State of the Nation Address) to be presented (or read–pun intended) by President Arroyo has not even happened yet but as early as now, I already feel a certain level of “exhaustion”. Maybe that’s because I read a lot of news.

Nevertheless, you may say (yes, I know), if you’re really tired of it, then why write more about it? Well, you may have a point there, but that’s how I am with something I find tiring or sickening — I tend to think about it or talk about it pretty much everyday until my brain’s short term memory passes the buck to my long-term memory.

I’ve read a post by Flowell about a look-back on the previous SONA’s from 2001 to 2007 and I find it an interesting and frustrating read. Interesting because there were good “promises” in those SONA’s and frustrating because most of those didn’t “quite” come true. From that talked-about “Bangkang Papel” theme in 2001 until last year’s theme “Facing Forward, not Facing Off“, much has been said, but sadly, not much has been accomplished.

Apparently, SONA’s have become as (if not more) rhetoric as those speeches given in Congress. Many of us don’t listen to it, much less care about what it contains. Thing is, there’s a certain truth to the “tiredness”. And it has become commonplace that many people actually aren’t even aware of the SONA’s schedule.

What the government, or the President for that matter, do not realize is that we are all fed-up with this crap being thrown at us every year. They probably also don’t realize that we are NOT stupid. We have just become so tolerant to the point of apathy that it seems we don’t give a damn anymore about the country’s economic and political state. But we know better of course. We are not blind to reality, most specially of glaring poverty staring at us in the face. The problems are just so real, you can hardly ignore it for one second. Everyday, I wake up to the stench of this government’s rotting corrupt practices. It’s all over the place. Online or offline, in print or broadcast media — it’s there. Anomalous deals here and there. It gets sicker and sicker everyday.

Political antics and attempt to cover-up transgressions have become as hilarious as comic shows and as dramatic as our telenovelas. Most of the time, watching the news seemed like watching  a circus, only that a circus is far more entertaining. If we wanted jesters, then we should have elected clowns instead or have we already?

Tiring, I tell you. Very tiring. But wait, there’s more! Yes, there’s more where this come from! And there’s another SONA next year. God help us. How much more of this can we take?

I am so tired of SONA’s. Aren’t you?

4 responses to “Do You Ever Get Tired of SONA’s?”

  1. We want to know the real state of the nation, we all just need to live in this country. It’s quite enough to feel the state of this country from flesh to bones.

    Hell, I’m all for scrapping Gloria’s SONA off the list until she’s thrown out of the Palace. It doesn’t serve any real purpose. But what can I say? Sometimes it’s entertaining to hear BS from her.

    [splice]s last blog post..Same Old

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  2. @splice, rock on! loved that last part of your comment..it sounds so sincere. :) but seriously, although it is tiring, boring and frustrating for the most part, i still watch SONA’s (can’t help it, i’m afraid) and today’s is no exception. so, yeah..regardless of how utterly disappointing her governance has been to many people, it’s still important to listen to what the lady president has to say. she is, after all, our president. and as we’ve seen so far, no protest anywhere can change that fact. if there’s anything commendable about her personality, it’s that “toughness” that has kept her in power all these years amidst all those rallies attempting to oust, which, by the way, is the same trait that we have come to loathe about her..

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  3. well, one can’t help but really get tired because, somehow, we don’t know if what PGMA says will happen (or is happening). After all, with the crisis happening right now, it’ hard to tell whether there is good coming out from her SONA or not. But, for me though, it helps to listen on it once in awhile :D

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  4. @erin, hello! thanks for speaking your mind regarding this topic. i agree with you. furthermore, although it pains us to listen to SONA’s because of the frustrations we’ve had with this administration, it doesn’t give us license to stop caring. after all, this is our country, this is our children’s future at stake here. it behooves us to care. :)

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About Me
Cecilia Regina Aquino Blanquera Marmol aka RJ Marmol profile picture

I’m RJ Marmol — writer, musician, and independent creator based in Manila.

I write songs, essays, and books about the messy overlap between money, overwhelm, creativity, identity, and rebuilding. Much of my work circles around what happens when life stops feeling manageable — and how we try to think clearly, make decisions, and keep moving anyway.

I’m also the author of Rebuilding Under Debt: Thinking Clearly When Everything Is a Blur, a nonfiction book published under Steady Hand Press. The paperback edition is listed under my full publishing name, Cecilia Regina Aquino Blanquera.

On the music side, I release work as HeyRJ. On the writing side, this site is where I gather my books, essays, notes, and whatever I’m building next.

Music

HeyRJ is my sonic soul project. I create raw, minimalist-style and deeply personal music interpretations that feel like a late-night conversation with your truest self.

By blending lo-fi acoustic textures with poetic honesty, my work explores love, loss, grief, healing, and the quiet in-betweens of life. Each song is a letter — a journal entry — a gentle companion for when the world feels too loud or too quiet.

While my catalogue began with intimate cover renditions, my work is increasingly being shaped by original writing, drawing from years of poems, lived questions, and emotional survival.

“Stuck Home Syndrome” released on March 20, 2026 is my first original 20-track album written during a period when time felt compressed and days began to blur into each other. The songs came from sitting with thoughts that had nowhere else to go — unfiltered, repetitive, and sometimes uncomfortable. It’s a concept album that isn’t built around singles or polish. It’s closer to a continuous inner monologue, recorded with minimal production and very little ornamentation and meant to be listened to as one cohesive body of work. The goal wasn’t to resolve anything, only to document how it felt while it was happening.

On May 29, 2026 I released new original singles – “Rapturous”, “Uh Huh”, “Look At You”, “All That” and “Blew Print”. I continue to release both original and cover songs and intend to so for as long as I can so check back every once in a while — you might. just find something you’ll like.

For business inquiries relating to music, email me at: heyrjmusic[at]gmail[dot]com or my personal email at: rjmarmol[at]gmail[dot]com.

Books

Rebuilding Under Debt: Thinking Clearly When Everything Is a Blur

A nonfiction book about what debt does to the mind — and how to begin functioning again when financial stress has made everything feel blurred, urgent, and overwhelming.

Rather than treating debt only as a financial math problem, the book explores the emotional and cognitive realities of financial distress: shame, decision fatigue, avoidance, panic, relationship strain, and the difficulty of making sound decisions while mentally depleted.

Published under Steady Hand Press. It’s available worldwide in ebook and paperback formats on Amazon. Bookstores and libraries can also be order it wholesale via Ingram.

Contact

For book-related inquiries, media requests, bookstore questions, or discussion-group invitations, you can reach me through the contact page on this site or send me an email to rjmarmol[at]gmail[dot]com or hello[at]steadyhandpress.com