By Alice Nicart

Borongan City (30 July) -- Time and again President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) ended up with diverse opinions, some were favorable, others not. Some, cared less but some were combative.

On the controversial Expanded Value Added Tax (EVAT), Caloy Capito anchorman of Radyo ng Bayan DYES, tapped some ten listeners who aired their personal views over his radio program "Barangay Patrol".

The result revealed as follows: 50% of the respondents favored EVAT and the following reasons were cited: they just understood this EVAT thing in the President's 8th SONA ; he only realized now the great value of the EVAT; those who are against EVAT are politicians who can't have their edge…Gov. Evardone and Cong. Coquilla say nothing against the EVAT because their province and district are beneficiaries of the EVAT; EVAT should continue, stressed one.

On the other hand, 30% opposed EVAT because according to one, "the rich becomes richer, the poor, poorer", one did not cite any reason and the other who was a senior citizen claimed that EVAT is in conflict with the Senior Citizens Law; according to him his 20% discount is getting smaller because of the EVAT.