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A Critical Discourse Analysis of Former Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte's State
of the City Addresses (SOCAs)

Article in International Journal of Multidisciplinary Applied Business and Education Research · August 2023
DOI: 10.11594/ijmaber.04.08.13

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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY: APPLIED
BUSINESS AND EDUCATION RESEARCH
2023, Vol. 4, No. 8, 2718 – 2734
http://dx.doi.org/10.11594/ijmaber.04.08.13

Research Article

A Critical Discourse Analysis of Former Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte’s State
of the City Addresses (SOCAs)

Maico Demi B. Aperocho*, Seth A. Flores, Jenyvive G. Gabisan, Noevy Jane B. Ygay

English Language Program, University of Mindanao, Davao City, 8000, Philippines

Article history: ABSTRACT

Submission August 2023
Revised August 2023 This study examined the discourses in the State of the City Addresses
Accepted August 2023 (SOCAs) of the former Mayor Davao City Sara Duterte-Carpio. Specifi-
cally, the rhetorical expressions, semantic expressions, linguistic fea-
*Corresponding author: tures, and classifications of ideologies in the political discourses were ex-
E-mail: plored. Through a Critical Discourse Analysis, the researchers explored
[email protected] the use of language and the ideologies represented in such. Findings
show that the SOCAs of former Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio
contained a variety of rhetorical expressions and discourse patterns. The
researchers also found significant results about semantic macrostruc-
tures, which vary from one speech to another. The ideology of positive Us
was also represented through powerful statements that show the im-
portance of former Mayor Sara's leadership, administration, projects,
and all people involved in her success. The researchers conclude that the
former Davao City Mayor used words powerfully to highlight essential
accomplishments and to express the value of the critical actors that made
these achievements possible.

Keywords: Critical discourse analysis, Davao City, Political speeches, Rhe-

torical expressions, Sara Duterte, Semantic macrostructures

Introduction and draws on various analytic methods (Wil-

In a political setting, politicians are ex- son 39). Thus, the confusing situation arises
pected to deliver a message in front of their from the definitions of political discourses re-
people with full authority; hence, people are ex- garding general issues such as power, conflict,
pected to do something in return for what poli- control, and domination, since most of these
ticians say. In fact, "Political words create concepts may apply in almost any form of dis-
power and authority between rulers and ruled" course (Fairclough 4-5).
(Little 29). Politics may be a struggle for power Critical discourse analysis (CDA) has inter-
to place certain political, economic, and social ested several researchers in linguistics, lan-
ideas into practice. The study of political dis- guage studies, and other science disciplines
course covers a broad range of subject matter within the past twenty years (Chouliaraki and
How to cite:
Aperocho, M. D. B., Flores, S. A., Gabisan, J. G., Ygay, N. J. B. (2023). A Critical Discourse Analysis of Former Davao City
Mayor Sara Duterte’s State of the City Addresses (SOCAs). International Journal of Multidisciplinary: Applied Business
and Education Research. 4(8), 2718 – 2734. doi: 10.11594/ijmaber.04.08.13
 Aperocho et al., 2023 / A Critical Discourse Analysis of Former Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte’s State of the City Addresses (SOCAs)

Fairclough 5-6). This interest has led to an out- pay attention to the core messages of the for-
sized number of studies analyzing oral and mer Mayor and understand her plans as visions
written texts, particularly within politics and to uplift every constituent and the entire city.
mass media. Thus, (Wang 254-261) incorpo- This study aimed to reveal the linguistic
rates more attention to CDA studies that can features and discourse structures of former
help explore the link between language, ideol- Mayor Sara Duterte and how her portrayal or
ogy, and power. Therefore, the study investi- identity is discursively constructed in her polit-
gates a side of discourse that has yet to receive ical speeches. In this paper, the researchers
adequate attention within the Philippine polit- aimed to answer the following questions: (a)
ical discourse. It examined oral texts, specifi- What linguistic features are present in the po-
cally the political speeches of the incumbent litical speeches of former Mayor Sarah Duterte?
former Mayor of Davao City, Sara Duterte-Car- (b) What semantic macrostructures can be ex-
pio, from a critical discourse analysis perspec- tracted from her political discourses? and (c)
tive. Analyzing former Mayor Sara's political What ideologies can be drawn upon from for-
discourses sheds light on language as (Brno mer Mayor Sara Duterte’s SOCAs?
720-733) a social semiotic system and her dis- The results of this study redound to the
cursive representation of the identities and op- benefit of society, considering that this study
erations of her ideology and power. Investigat- sought to establish how power and ideology
ing the speeches' key linguistic elements, main manifest through the various linguistic choices
ideologies, and strategies and techniques em- of former Mayor Sara in her political speeches.
ployed served as a stepping stone in under- In addition, people who wish to be influential
standing the politician herself and determining public speakers would also benefit from this
the embedded ideologies. study, for the results show the linguistic strate-
It is vital to analyze the languages used by gies and techniques of public speaking. Further,
political figures when delivering their dis- the research analysis would provide beneficial
courses since, in the realm of politics, reports information for speech and oral communica-
are of significance. Charteris-Black (762) ar- tion classes and academic writing. This study is
gues that successful speakers, especially in a also beneficial for future researchers seeking to
political context, must appeal to attitudes and analyze and study political discourses; it could
emotions already within the listeners. Jones serve as their reference in similar undertak-
(12) says that in building an ideology, the ca- ings.
pacity to transmit the notion that the speaker This study was anchored on the theory of
and the listener want the same thing is crucial. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), which was
Hence, in the local context, understanding the an approach to scrutinize and analyze the lan-
discourses present in the State of the City Ad- guage used concerning the issues of language,
dresses delivered by former Mayor Sara power, and ideologies. When the meaning of
Duterte would greatly interest unraveling ide- the words is analyzed, it will generate a rele-
ologies. The research attempted to investigate vant relationship between the hearer and the
former Mayor Sara Duterte's speeches' key lin- speaker. Another is that the researchers uti-
guistic elements, main ideologies, and the strat- lized the Ideological Square Model (van Dijk
egies and techniques she employed to attain 249-283). This seeks to outline positive self-
her long-term political objectives. Further- presentation and negative other-presenta-
more, the research analysis would provide ben- tion—emphasizing the positives of "Us" and
eficial information for the speech and oral com- the negatives of "Them," at the same time,
munication classes. Additionally, through a deemphasizing the positives of "Them" and the
Critical Discourse Analysis, this study brought negatives of "Us." This model may help ascer-
understanding to the discourse of politics as tain the common "Us" and "Them" actors in the
power and dominance. Finally, this research SOCAs. Gramsci et al. (qtd. 359-383) state that
was pursued because Davao is now facing a tre- text and talk control people's minds, and, there-
mendous change; thus, it is within the realm to fore, discourse may indirectly influence peo-

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ple's actions through persuasion and manipu- Since this study aimed to unravel the tex-
lation. This means that those groups who con- tual and ideological contents of the SOCAs of
trol the foremost influential discourse even former Mayor Sara Duterte, the use of Fair-
have more chances to manage the minds and clough’s Three-Dimensional Framework for
actions of others. Such powers of dominant CDA was highly considered. As previously men-
groups could even be integrated with laws, tioned, the researchers focused on the follow-
rules, norms, habits, and even a quiet consen- ing: (a) linguistic description of the language
sus resulting in "hegemony." In other words, text, (b) interpretation of the relationship be-
van Dijk (359-383) emphasized that it is not tween discursive processes and the text, and
most directly the social and scientific discipline (c) explanation of the relationship between the
but rather the symbolic economy of language discursive processes and social processes.
and discourse that controls the minds of politi- The textual analysis scrutinized the politi-
cal actors and their actions. Furthermore, this cal discourse on both macro and micro levels.
study is reinforced by its proposition of Woods Linking its linguistic practices with socio-cul-
on the discourse of politics, which states that it tural practices was also set out. The political
uses persuasive linguistic techniques. This re- speech under scrutiny was analyzed regarding
search is conducted because it functions as a its semantic macrostructures (topics) and local
stepping stone in understanding the politician semantics (local meanings). After carefully an-
herself and determining the embedded ideolo- alyzing the linguistic features, the researchers
gies through investigating the speeches' key used Fairclough's Ideological Square to deter-
linguistic elements and main ideologies, as evi- mine the dominant ideologies in former Mayor
denced in the strategies employed. Sara's speeches.

Methods Results and Discussion

This qualitative research was based on the Rhetorical Expressions in the SOCAs
methodological framework of Critical Dis- Rhetorical expressions refer to a relation
course Analysis as developed by one of the from one referential meaning to an otherwise
prominent theorists, Norman Fairclough (90). empty set of alternatives; the specific relation
Fairclough clarifies that discourse can be depends on the rhetorical meaning at hand
viewed as (a) a language text, for example, spo- (Schmerling 9). This is similar to how classical
ken or composed, (b) discourse rehearses (text rhetorical tropes replace one referential mean-
creation and text utilization), and (c) socio-so- ing with a related one. Charteris-Black (10) ar-
cial practices. The researchers of this study gues that successful speakers, especially in po-
scrutinized the linguistic features found in for- litical contexts, must appeal to attitudes and
mer Davao City Mayor Sarah Duterte's emotions already within the listeners. When
speeches. The analyses were based on three di- listeners perceive that their beliefs are under-
mensions, as the model suggests (a) linguistic stood and supported, the speaker has estab-
description of the language text, (b) interpreta- lished links between the listener and the policy
tion of the relationship between discursive pro- that they wish to communicate. Speakers use a
cesses and the text, and (c) explanation of the variety of rhetorical strategies to be persuasive.
relationship between the discursive processes Among the most common strategies based on
and social processes. the study of Charteris-Black (11) mentioned in
The researchers accessed the video-rec- the study of Kulo (4) are metaphors, metony-
orded State of the City Addresses (SOCAs) of mies, analogies, pronouns, imagery, active and
former Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte from passive voice, sound bites, alliteration, and
various online platforms like YouTube and Fa- word repetition.
cebook. These SOCAs are those delivered in The linguistic trends of Duterte-Carpio's
2018-2020. The recorded speeches were tran- SOCAs consist of five rhetorical devices: meton-
scribed and converted into text as the data ba- ymies, imagery, appeal to emotion, and pro-
sis for analysis. nouns and sound bites. Results reveal that me-

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tonymies are when an idea or concept is re- to lighten the worry and responsibility of the
placed by a single word or feature connected to people and the former Mayor, respectively. If
it. Imagery helps to draw attention to the listen- former Mayor Sara used common terms, they
ers. Appeal to emotions is a logical fallacy that may worry about the situation and blame the
uses weak reasoning. Pronouns are words that former Mayor for the current situation. Addi-
stand in for nouns, such as I or we, which helps tionally, former Mayor Sara avoided promise
who is responsible for the act. Lastly, sound words to lessen the expectations and accounta-
bites summarize the content of a longer para- bility for whatever promising words she said.
graph in fewer words. Hence, using metonymies is helpful to avoid
Metonymies. When a word or aspect associ- any misconceptions and negative comments
ated with an idea or concept is used in its stead, from the other party, and to reduce the ac-
it is known as a metonymy. As mentioned by countability of the former Mayor if the people
Kulo, cited by Gibbs (1993: 259), the founda- will rely much on whatever she discussed dur-
tion of metonymies is conceptual, as is the case ing her SOCA.
with metaphors (4). Also, metonymies are very Imagery. Imagery is a figurative language in
helpful in political discourse because they ei- politics that possesses expressiveness and
ther reduce or increase the speaker's responsi- draws the audience's attention, for which, in
bility. In the speech, four were identified under some cases, lexical units are capable of fulfilling
this rhetorical expression. a certain communicative task (Savich 170-
180). For this rhetorical expression, two were
“I have weathered numerous storms observed in the SOCAs, and these are the fol-
...." (S4, P1, T3) lowing:
"I did not expect the current one to be
smooth-sailing but my wildest dreams..." "When the pandemic is over, I invite
(S3, P1, T3) everyone to ride through scenic areas…"
"I will forever be between rock and a (S1, P7, T3)
hard place amidst this pandemic..." (S1, "I invite everyone to look up our so-
P16, T3) dium to LED bulbs transition for street-
"The deaths, the pain, the debts, and lights which have greatly improved visi-
frustrations are sent our way to change us bility and security on the roads..."(S2, P7,
into Dabawenyos who look at dark clouds T3)
and see it as the silver lining." (S2, P17,
T3) The excerpts mentioned above are exam-
ples of imagery because the speaker attempted
The excerpts mentioned above fall under to catch the listener's interest by saying very
metonymies because the words used in the appealing words. An example is the use of "sce-
sentences were replaced with the exact words nic areas" as a definition of a beautiful place
that should have been used. For instance, "nu- people will go to once the pandemic is over. An-
merous storms" was used instead of "many other is the word "invite," which shows how ex-
challenges." This is because if former Mayor pressive former Mayor Sara was to draw the
Sara used words that could be easily under- listener's attention. As shown in the excerpts,
stood by many, others, especially those people the objects that were described are to be expe-
who are against her, would think that she was rienced by the people, and this added interest
bragging about all the accomplishments that to listen more to the SOCA of the former Mayor.
she has done during her mayorship. This is also This only implies that a speaker can use the im-
applicable to the second and third excerpts agery to draw the audience's attention for them
cited above. Metonymies help cover up the to be attentive to whatever the speaker deliv-
weight of the situation. For example, in the last ers the discourses.
sample excerpt, it used the words "dark clouds" Pronouns and Sound Bites. Using pronouns
in replacement of the word "bad situation" and may tell a lot about how much responsibility a
used "silver lining" as replacement for "hope" speaker wants to assume for an idea. Pronouns
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 Aperocho et al., 2023 / A Critical Discourse Analysis of Former Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte’s State of the City Addresses (SOCAs)

are words substituting for nouns or noun mies are very helpful in political discourse be-
phrases (Beard, 24). Sound bites, on the other cause they reduce or increase the speaker's re-
hand, are a brief excerpt from a speech that is sponsibility (Gibbs, 4). It is to avoid any unfa-
typically sent to the media so that they can be vorable circumstances the speaker might get if
broadcast as soon as possible (Beard 37). The they use more vulgar words. In terms of fre-
soundbite was chosen to encapsulate the con- quency, metonymies are then followed by pro-
tent of a longer paragraph in fewer words, suit- nouns and sound bites that help in making the
able for a headline. These were observed in the audience believe in the speaker and can win
following excerpts: over their heart since it gives a clear direction
to whoever is responsible for the act; which is
“I have weathered numerous storms very advantageous, especially in politics (Born,
...." (S4, P1, T3) Van Eck, Johannesson,685). Interestingly, im-
"Ah, well kung di siyamahuman we in- agery is seen as the most used rhetorical de-
tend to...." (S1, P3,T1) vice.
( Well, if this won't be finished, we in-
tend to … ) Semantic Macrostructures
“We likewise need to fund the study...." In the study by Louwerse and Graesser (3),
(S2, P6, T3) global textual structures known as macrostruc-
"How to continue the programs and tures contribute to the overall meaning of a
projects under Byaheng Du30.... some of text. Semantic macrostructure is ignored or
the 38 projects we undertook during the ruled outside most formal linguistics and some
first biyahe some completed while others method of discourse analysis. They are pro-
are ongoing" (S1, P2, T3) duced by employing the macro rules of con-
“We're also proud to report that the struction, generalization, and deletion on a set
city will once again...." (S1, P18, T2) of propositions extrapolated from the text. The
relationship between microstructure and
The excerpt above is an example of a pro- macro-structure involves the notion of im-
noun because the speaker used "I" and "we portance or relevance. The macro-interpreta-
."Using pronouns in a discourse helps identify tion defines the essential event or object signi-
who is responsible for an act. The "I" pronoun fied by the propositions' sequence. Further-
clarifies who is responsible for the act, and that more, the same factors that make specific
is the speaker. On the other hand, the pronoun macro propositions easy to understand while
"we" is unclear because the subject to whom it reading also make them remember after read-
is being referred is vague. The use of these pro- ing. Numerous retrieval paths to macro propo-
nouns is something helpful in appealing to the sitions in the text representation as expanded
sharing of interest between the speaker and the information exist. According to Teun van Dijk,
audience (Black, 4). Sound bites, on the one macro-structural information is vital in dis-
hand, show clarity and self-assurance, espe- course comprehension and recall because it in-
cially in matters like the city's plan. An example fluences attention, prominent representation,
of this is the last excerpt, which reflects a leader and thus recall. Additionally, readers fre-
who must discover ways to persuade the audi- quently employ their macrostructure repre-
ence to accept a certain policy. The pronoun sentations strategically as a retrieval plan to
"we" can communicate both internal party co- cue their memories for text content in tasks
hesion and audience cohesion by using the that highlight reconstructive processes (Lorch
"we" pronoun, as it is a sign that audiences are Jr; Chauvin 4066-4068, Pelletier 279-306).
included in the discourses (Black, 5-6). This political speech sent several vital mes-
Among the three rhetorical expressions sages to the Dabawenyos and the Philippines in
comprehensively observed in the SOCAs, the 2018. These will be shown in the following dis-
researchers found that the most dominant rhe- cussion.
torical expressions are metonymies. Metony-

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 Aperocho et al., 2023 / A Critical Discourse Analysis of Former Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte’s State of the City Addresses (SOCAs)

The 2nd State of the City Address of Sara springboard in establishing a foundation for
Duterte-Carpio was held in Davao City Hall in people to consume and digest arguments and
2018. The speech tackled the administration's ultimately build informed and evidence-based
future, particularly in the problems faced by opinions. The following paragraph demon-
the city in terms of areas. Moreover, the SOCA strates how former mayor Sarah described the
was open to the public and the media; ques- state of the city today:
tions were raised, which were answered imme-
diately by the elected mayor. Through the po- Let me begin with our local economy,
litical speech of Sara Duterte-Carpio, several that has been bullish the past four years.
important messages were sent to audiences. The regional domestic product growth
These are the following macro-structures that rate has shown an immense increase since
were observed during the SOCA. 2015…(S2, P2, T1)
Welcoming. The State of City Address 2018 (Let me begin with our local economy
started by role-calling the respected personnel that has been bullish the past four years.
and the beloved Dabawenyos. Stated gestures The regional domestic product growth
of welcome are an essential part of social inter- rate has shown an immense increase
actions since they set the stage for social gath- since 2015...)
erings. There is no universally recognized defi-
nition of welcoming since definitions are more Announcing the Accomplished Projects. This
comparable to formulas without any proposi- is a list of completed projects. The speech's an-
tional substance. Despite the fact that people nouncement of completed projects is regarded
have learned to use certain words to express as one of the easiest sections because the sub-
greetings, they might not always mean what ject is as evident as the section on the city's cur-
they say (Justova 777-780). This stood in con- rent state (Sicat). According to Thompson, this
trast to the earnestness apparent in the former is utilized to demonstrate the populace's at-
mayor Sara's address and was expressed tainment of particular goals and advantages.
through the discourses she used. The opening This is shown in the excerpt below:
quotes from Mayor Sarah's address are as fol-
lows: In the last two years, we have con-
structed 116 classrooms across all levels
There being 28 members present, the and sites using the Special Education
chair declares column members of the 18th Fund, bringing down the shortage to 368
Council. To my fellow Dabawenyos, ladies for elementary and 38 for senior high
and gentlemen, maayong buntag sa in- school. More funds are needed to address
yong tanan!. (S1,P1,T1) the shortage for high school classrooms,
(There being 28 members present, as currently, we have a shortage of 1006
the chair declares column members of due to the increasing enrollment. We are
the 18th Council. To my fellow endeavoring to construct more, ….. (S2,
Dabawenyos, ladies and gentlemen, good P2, T1)
morning to all of you!) (In the last two years, we have con-
structed 116 classrooms across all levels
State of the Current State of the City. The and sites using the Special Education
second message is stating the current state of Fund, bringing down the shortage to 368
the City. Declaring the city's current situation is for elementary and 38 for senior high
thought to be the most apparent element of the school. More funds are needed to address
speech since it is given to deliver strong signals the shortage for high school classrooms,
to the public about and for the public, according as currently, we have a shortage of 1006
to Jasim's study (16–25). Ancho also empha- due to the increasing enrollment. We are
sized that in a nation like the Philippines, beset endeavoring to construct more….)
by numerous political, social, and cultural chal-
lenges, public speeches are thought to be a
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Announcing the Ongoing Projects. The ongo- Thanking. In her fifth message, Sara
ing projects are announced in the fourth mes- Duterte-Carpio expresses her deep apprecia-
sage. Through political speeches, every public tion to everyone who has contributed to her
official can inform the public of the aims and fu- achievements and good fortune. It is important
ture course of the government. Politicians use for Sara Duterte, the city's mayor, to thank eve-
political speech to express their views on a gov- ryone who attended the speech and those in
ernment's policies, whether in agreement or charge of successfully implementing the city's
disagreement. Every speech should outline the plans and projects. Also evident from the ex-
current initiatives and objectives for the better- cerpts is the mayor's appreciation for the peo-
ment of the neighborhood (Thomas). Addition- ple and institutions he seemed to trust, as evi-
ally, it was observed from the speech that a few denced by the words "thank you" (Devanadera
abrasive speech acts are used to tell the public 513-520). The following excerpt is an example
about the city's future intentions by delineating of how former Mayor Sarah expresses grati-
and linking them to the listeners (Hashim 699- tude for the accomplishments of her admin-
706). As evidence, consider the excerpt that fol- istration:
lows:
It is my hope that all of us share the
As of now, we have two mobile librar- same and we take ownership in seeing to
ies roaming the City to service hard-to- it that all of us share the same and we take
reach areas. Second, we are undertaking ownership in seeing to it that one day all
the modernization of the library through of these goals will see reality in our be-
the Tech for Ed or Technology for Eco- loved Davao City. In behalf of the 18th
nomic Development, a project component Council and the people of Davao,
of the Information Communications Tech- maraming salamat! (S6, P30, T10)
nology Office and the Department of Sci- It is my hope that all of us share the
ence and Technology. And the Department same and we take ownership in seeing to
of Information and Communications Tech- it that all of us share the same and we
nology, Tech four, Ed is a software in- take ownership in seeing to it that one
stalled in various district libraries in the day all of these goals will see reality in
City, allowing access to digital content in a our beloved Davao City. In behalf of the
faster and efficient manner. Currently, we 18th Council and the people of Davao,
are building a world-class City li- thank you so much!
brary…(S2, P18, T1).
(As of now, we have two mobile li- Being one of the images of the City, it is im-
braries roaming the City to service hard- portant to be polite and to use formal language.
to-reach areas. Second, we are undertak- One method for making semantic structures ex-
ing the modernization of the library plicit is to use formal language so that the ex-
through the Tech for Ed or Technology pressions of this language can be interpreted
for Economic Development, a project correctly in the logical language's formal se-
component of the Information Communi- mantics (van Dijk 4). A macrostructure is typi-
cations Technology Office and the De- cally more general than its corresponding mi-
partment of Science and Technology. And crostructure. While macro rules must abstract
the Department of Information and Com- and generalize, there must be some restrictions
munications Technology, Tech four, Ed is on the level of abstraction. Macro rules are nec-
a software installed in various district li- essary to yield specific information and are not
braries in the City, allowing access to dig- too general (van Dijk 9). Thus, in this research,
ital content in a faster and efficient man- the researchers identified macrostructures in
ner. Currently, we are building a world- the SOCAs of former Mayor Sara. It is a must to
class City library….) answer questions with concrete and general
explanations so the audience can follow and
understand the scenario. Then, ending by
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thanking them humbly and sincerely makes the have given us during the day, 2019 elec-
audience feel they have been a part of the suc- tions and of course another thank you for
cess (Paramasivan 8). the win of the 12 senators here in Davao
Another speech delivered by Mayor Sara City.)
was in 2019. Through her SOCA this year, sev-
eral important messages were sent to the Stating the Current State of the City. The sec-
Dabawenyos and the whole Philippines in ond message states the current state of the city.
2019. These are the following. As stated in the study of Jasim (16-25), stating
The 3rd State of the City Address of Sara the city's current state is considered the most
Duterte-Carpio was held in Davao City Hall in obvious part of the speech because this is given
2019, and this lasted for an hour and 10 to convey powerful messages to the public
minutes. The speech tackled the programs and about and for the public. Furthermore, Ancho
projects to be continued for the said year. Ac- highlighted that public speeches are thought to
cording to the speech, the projects started dur- be a springboard in creating foundations for
ing the previous year and would resume in people to consume and digest arguments and
2019. Furthermore, the mayor presented the eventually build informed and evidence-based
City's housing project, which gave many fami- opinions in a country like the Philippines, en-
lies chances to acquire their own homes. veloped by multiple political, social, and cul-
Through the political speech of Sara Duterte- tural challenges. The excerpt below is shows
Carpio, many important messages were sent to how former Mayor Sarah state the current sta-
audiences. Table 2 shows the macrostructure, tus of the City:
and discussions of this are found below.
Welcoming. In the first message, which is How to continue the programs and
welcoming, Sara Duterte-Carpio is behaving in projects under Byaheng Du30 which be-
a polite or friendly way to a guest in her SOCA. gan implementing in 2016. Here are some
She greeted the guest in a friendly way when of the 38 projects we undertook during the
they arrived. Additionally, as they create the first biyahe, some completed while others
circumstances for social meetings, spoken acts are ongoing the pagkalinga sa bayan. One
of welcome are seen as a crucial component of stop shop within which is now known as
social interactions. Since definitions of welcom- the Malasakit center 346 housing units
ing are more akin to formulas without any completed in Los Amigos relocation site
propositional substance, no single definition is republic and ploy meant system office job
accepted everywhere. Although people have matching over 40,000 individuals with the
learned to use specific words as greetings, they 5077 beneficial is Kian Gabrielle hotline
may not always mean what they say (Justova ng bayan at lingapin see at the city health
777-780). This contrasts with what was exhib- office at Magallanes Street and in Calinan,
ited in former Mayor Sara's speech because the Palawan and to reproductive health and
sincerity could be felt as manifested in her use wellness center made a treatment have for
of discourses. The following are the excerpts of persons living with HIV and aids com-
how Mayor Sarah started the speech: pleted over 1200 structure projects.
(S1,P2,T2)
I like to begin by thanking all for the (How do we continue the programs
support you have given me and my admin- and projects under byahengDu30 in this
istration and the freshmen you have given city? This began by implementing some
us during the day 2019 elections and of of the 38 projects in 2016, which we un-
course another thank you for the win of dertook during the first biyahe. Some
the 12 senators here in Davao City. (S1, were completed while others are ongo-
P1,T2) ing such as the pagkalinga sa bayan one-
(I like to begin by thanking you all for stop shop, which is now known as the
the support you have given me and my Malasakit center 346 housing units
administration and for the freshmen you which was completed in los amigos
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 Aperocho et al., 2023 / A Critical Discourse Analysis of Former Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte’s State of the City Addresses (SOCAs)

relocation site republic and ploy meant iron man 2018 and 2019 the Epson
system office. Also, there was job match- scholarships for step low and medicine
ing over 40,000 individuals with the the pagbabago campaign 112 classrooms
5077 beneficiaries and Kian Gabrielle initiated at the biodiesel facility the bo-
hotline ng bayan at lingapin will be seen tanical garden in my 40 completed play-
at the city health office at Magallanes grounds in the Botanical Garden People's
Street and in Calinan, Palawan and to re- Park…)
productive health and wellness center
made a treatment for persons living with Announcing the ongoing projects. The fourth
HIV and AIDS which completed over message is announcing the ongoing projects.
1200 structure projects.) Every public official can speak to the public
about the government's future intentions and
Announcing the accomplished projects. Sim- directions through political speeches. Politi-
ilar to the part of the speech tackling the city's cians communicate their opinions on a govern-
current state, announcing the accomplished ment's policies through political speech,
projects is also known to be one of the most whether they be in agreement or dissent. An-
easily observed parts since the topic is obvious nouncing the ongoing plans and projects for the
(Sicat). According to Thompson, this is used to betterment of the community is necessary in
show the accomplishment of specific objectives every speech (Thomas). In addition, it was
and benefits attained by the people. This was noted from the speech that some aggressive
observed in the excerpt below: speech acts are utilized to inform the public
about the city's future plans by outlining them
Davao City Library and Information and relating them to the listeners (Hashim 699-
Center which is under construction right 706). This can be observed in the excerpt be-
now tourism and investment building un- low:
der construction CSSDO building under
construction and the Agdao farmers mar- Best classrooms in the coming weeks
ket under construction to Davao City the local school board is set to approve a
sports complex to Davao skatepark in and budget of 650 million pesos and approxi-
out the underground cabling project with mately 270 million pesos will be used to
Davao light and power company im- further fun classroom constructions in the
portant sports events did opera at 2018 different areas of Davao city the success in
and 2019 the Palarong Pambansa 2019 the provision of more classrooms for our
the iron man 2018 and 2019 the Epson learners was done with the help of the
scholarships for step low and medicine the city's partners both local and interna-
pagbabago campaign 112 classrooms ini- tional last year the embassy of the people's
tiated at the biodiesel facility the botani- republic of China in the Philippines to the
cal garden in my 40 completed play- effort of a masters all allocated funds for
grounds in the Botanical Garden People's the construction of 13 modern 2-story for
Park….. (S2, P2, T3) classroom buildings in select public
(Davao City Library and Information schools in the city 11 of these buildings
Center which is under construction right have already been completed, and Arnold
now, also tourism and investment build- used by the students the department of ed-
ing is under construction; CSSDO build- ucation….(S1, P13, T2)
ing also is under construction and the Ag- (Best classrooms in the coming
dao Farmers Market, Davao city sports weeks and the local school board are set
complex, Davao skatepark in and out the to approve a budget of 650 million pesos
underground cabling project with Davao and approximately 270 million pesos,
light and power company important which will be used to further fund class-
sports events did opera at 2018 and room constructions in the different areas
2019 the Palarong Pambansa 2019 the of Davao City the success for the
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 Aperocho et al., 2023 / A Critical Discourse Analysis of Former Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte’s State of the City Addresses (SOCAs)

provision of more classrooms for our As a public speaker, one must follow a cer-
learners which was done with the help of tain structure for their thoughts to be orga-
the city's partners both local and interna- nized and clear. Macrostructures are crucial for
tional last year the embassy of the peo- comprehension and memory. The idea of
ple's Republic of China in the Philippines macrostructure has been proven incredibly
to the effort of a masters all allocated helpful in explaining various discourse and lan-
funds for the construction of 13 modern guage use characteristics. For instance, re-
2-story for classroom buildings in select search has found that language users typically
public schools in the city 11 of these remember these broad meanings the best. The
buildings have already been completed ability of language users to condense discourse
and Arnold used by the students the de- and text or to create a "gist" of what they have
partment of education….) heard or read is also explained by macrostruc-
tures. Macrostructures also provide the "for-
Thanking. The fifth message is thanking, mat" or "schema" that organizes the macro
wherein Sara Duterte-Carpio is pleased to give propositions of discourse, as is the case for the
her sincerest gratitude to all those who are part conventional format, such as political discourse
of her successes and graces. It is significant for (van Dijk, 5). Thus, in this research, the re-
Sara Duterte, the city's mayor, to honor those searchers identified the macrostructures in the
who took the time to listen to the speech and SOCAs of former Mayor Sara as discourse struc-
the people responsible for the plans and initia- tures that helped the politician better organize
tives of the city's success. Moreover, it is clear the speech content and channel the messages
from the extracts that the mayor appreciated more effectively. The structure started with
the people and institutions that he seemed to welcoming, which helped acknowledge the au-
trust that the words "thank you" were used dience's presence and signal that the speech
(Devanadera 513-520). The excerpt presented was starting. The 2019 speech ends with thank-
below is an example of how former Mayor Sa- ing as a conclusion to the discourses. Indeed,
rah gives thanks for the success of her admin- having a format means having a concrete direc-
istration: tion and organized thought of the overall dis-
course. It can help the audience follow what has
I would like to acknowledge the efforts been discussed by the speaker and remember
of our department heads and employees the details with clarity.
who have already passed on to the next Mayor Sara’s SOCA 2020 channeled a num-
line and those who have recently retired ber of important messages to the Dabawenyos
and of course, the higher hardworking and the whole Philippines in 2020. These are
Sangguniang Panlungsod our Vice Mayor the following.
Baste Duterte and all our counselors; This SOCA of Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio
thank you very much for your support. To was delivered online because this was the year
my administration, these games were not when the global pandemic started. Since the na-
achieved by the local government …(S2, tion was restricted from having gatherings out-
P54, T2) side, the SOCA was accessible online and
(I would like to acknowledge the ef- through television. It was evident that the city
forts of our department heads and em- mayor presented information about the poli-
ployees who have already passed on to cies implemented against COVID-19 and how
the next line and those who have recently they would lessen the number of infected indi-
retired and of course, the higher hard- viduals. Furthermore, former Mayor Sara
working Sangguniang Panlungsod, our signed new rules regarding using masks and
Vice Mayor Baste Duterte, and our coun- face shields to reduce COVID cases. Presented
selors, thank you very much for your in Table 3 is the macrostructure of the 2020
support to my administration…) speech. In the following paragraphs, the re-
searchers discussed each of the structures.

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Welcoming. The first message is welcoming, manage our expectations because this
wherein this is best implicated from the lines pandemic will define how we will live for
below. Like the description given in the discus- another two years….)
sion above, this statement is considered wel-
coming because of a statement made by the Stating the current state of the city. The
host at the start of a ceremony or as a way to third message states the current state of the
welcome and express gratitude to those who city, wherein the lines are best indicated below.
have gone through the trouble of marking their According to Jasim (16-25), describing the
attendance. This declaration will begin any city's current situation is the speech's most
event, meeting, gathering, or celebration. It is clear point since it is made to make a strong
evident in the speech of mayor Duterte because point to the audience about and for the audi-
she began with a greeting to the audience. ence. Furthermore, Ancho emphasized that in a
Simply put, a greeting speech is delivered to nation like the Philippines, beset by numerous
begin any special occasion or event and to wel- political, social, and cultural challenges, public
come a guest to a gathering. The presented ex- speeches are thought to be a springboard in
cerpt below is how former Mayor Sarah wel- laying the groundwork for people to consume
comed the guests: and digest arguments, ultimately building in-
formed and evidence-based opinions. This was
Maayong adlaw sa inyong tanan! observed in the presented excerpt below:
When I started my fresh term as Mayor in
July 2019, I mentally prepared myself for We also envision using technology to
the emergencies and disasters. No term of support the team. We endeavor to catch
mine was ever uneventful and I did not ex- many of the contacts of a confirmed posi-
pect the current one to be smooth sailing tive case using the Safe Davao QR. Isolate:
but my wildest dreams never considered a As of date, we have 15 Temporary Treat-
pandemic. As Chief Executive, I have ment and Monitoring Facilities with a ca-
weathered numerous storms but what pacity of 1,171 bed spaces for various
completely floored me was that I did not types of individuals from confirmed posi-
see an end to this one. Ten months since tive, suspects, contacts, and post-swab in-
the declaration of the coronavirus pan- dividuals. We also have 601 bed spaces
demic, Davao City remains trapped in a across four facilities supporting our "Test
very peculiar reality just like the rest of the and Wait" initiative for arriving passen-
world. And we should all manage our ex- gers at the Davao International Airport.
pectations because this pandemic will de- Treat: Initially, we had the Southern Phil-
fine how we will live our lives for another ippines Medical Center as the sole hospital
two years…(S1, P1, T3) for COVID-19 patients. But with the surge
(Good day to all of you! When I of cases, three (3) private hospitals have
started my fresh term as Mayor in July opened COVID-19 wards. Cremation: An-
2019, I mentally prepared myself for the other project funded by the Bayanihan
emergencies and disasters. No term of Law is the Wireless Public Cemetery Crem-
mine was ever uneventful, and I did not atorium, which shall accommodate all
expect the current one to be smooth sail- COVID-related deaths…. (S1, P3,T3)
ing, but my wildest dreams never consid- (We also envision using technology
ered a pandemic. As Chief Executive, I to support the team. We endeavor to
have weathered numerous storms but catch many of the contacts of a confirmed
what completely floored me was that I positive case using the Safe Davao QR.
did not see an end to this one. Ten Isolate: As of date, we have 15 Tempo-
months since the declaration of the coro- rary Treatment and Monitoring Facilities
navirus pandemic, Davao City remains with a capacity of 1,171 bed spaces for
trapped in a very peculiar reality just like various types of individuals from
the rest of the world. And we should all confirmed positive, suspects, contacts,
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 Aperocho et al., 2023 / A Critical Discourse Analysis of Former Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte’s State of the City Addresses (SOCAs)

and post-swab individuals. We also have public transportation. And just very re-
601 bed spaces across four facilities sup- cently, we used the same assistance to
porting our "Test and Wait" initiative for help out the displaced workers of the
arriving passengers at the Davao Inter- businesses affected by the liquor ban.
national Airport. Treat: Initially, we had Meanwhile, ESKWELA DAVAO is an edu-
the Southern Philippines Medical Center cational assistance grant for children of
as the sole hospital for COVID-19 pa- families who lost their source of income
tients. But with the surge of cases, three or have reduced income due to the pan-
(3) private hospitals have opened demic. The program will benefit 22,000
COVID-19 wards. Cremation: Another students — of which 4,500 are Junior
project funded by the Bayanihan Law is High School; 4,500 are Senior High
the Wireless Public Cemetery Cremato- School; 10,000 are elementary; and
rium, which shall accommodate all 3,000 are kindergarten. The beneficiar-
COVID-related deaths….) ies are set to receive cash assistance
ranging from P1,000 to P3,000 each….)
Announcing the accomplished projects. The
fourth message is announcing the accom- Announcing the ongoing projects. The fifth
plished projects. Announcing the completed message is announcing the ongoing projects.
projects is regarded as one of the speech's most Through political speeches, every public official
easily noted passages, similar to the section on can inform the public of the aims and future
the city's current state because the subject is so course of the government. Politicians use polit-
evident. This is utilized to demonstrate the peo- ical speech to express their views on a govern-
ple's attainment of particular goals and ad- ment's policies, whether they be in agreement
vantages (Kolzow 268-282). The excerpt below or disagreement. Every speech should outline
was observed from this structure: the current initiatives and objectives for the
betterment of the community. Additionally, it
Along with this, the TUPAD of the De- was observed from the speech that a few
partment of Labor and Employment has speech acts are used to tell the public about the
also helped jeepney drivers whose incomes city's future intentions by delineating and link-
have been greatly reduced because of the ing them to the listeners (Giuliani 245-255).
distancing requirements in public trans- Below is the excerpt where former Mayor Sa-
portation. And just very recently, we used rah announced the ongoing projects:
the same assistance to help out the dis-
placed workers of the businesses affected Even amidst the pandemic, the
by the liquor ban. Meanwhile, ESKWELA Byaheng DO30 program continues on.
DAVAO is an educational assistance grant Here are the highlights of what we hope to
for children of families who lost their finish during the end of my term in June
source of income or have reduced income 2022: We continuously support the big-
due to the pandemic. The program will ticket projects of the National Government
benefit 22,000 students — of which 4,500 that are aligned with the Infrastructure
are Junior High School; 4,500 are Senior Modernization Project for Davao. In par-
High School; 10,000 are elementary; and ticular, we were able to gain the full sup-
3,000 are kindergarten. The beneficiaries port of the Department of Transportation
are set to receive cash assistance ranging on the High Priority Bus System project….
from P1,000 to P3,000 each…. (S1,P4,T3) (S1, P5, T3)
(Along with this, the TUPAD of the (Even amidst the pandemic, the
Department of Labor and Employment Byaheng DO30 program continues on.
has also helped jeepney drivers whose Here are the highlights of what we hope
incomes have been greatly reduced be- to finish during the end of my term in
cause of the distancing requirements in June 2022: We continuously support the

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 Aperocho et al., 2023 / A Critical Discourse Analysis of Former Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte’s State of the City Addresses (SOCAs)

big-ticket projects of the National Gov- their ideas to be coherent and understandable.
ernment that are aligned with the Infra- Macrostructures are essential for memory and
structure Modernization Project for Da- comprehension. It has been extremely benefi-
vao. In particular, we were able to gain cial to use the concept of macrostructure to de-
the full support of the Department of scribe a range of discourse and language use
Transportation on the High Priority Bus characteristics. For instance, studies have
System project ….) shown that those who use languages frequently
retain these general meanings the best. Macro-
Thanking. The sixth message is thanking structures also explain how language users
wherein Mayor Sara thanked everyone for the might summarize speech and text or get the
full support and love during her administra- substance of what they have heard or read. In
tion. It is noteworthy that Sara Duterte, the the case of the traditional format, such as polit-
city's mayor, dedicated to and celebrated both ical discourse, macrostructures also provide
those who took the time to listen to the speech the "format" or "schema" that arranges the
and those in charge of successfully implement- macro propositions of discourse (van Dijk, 5).
ing the city's goals and objectives. Further- Thus, in this study, the researchers identi-
more, it is evident from the excerpts that the fied the macrostructures in the SOCAs of for-
mayor respected the people and organization mer Mayor Sara. The format in the two SOCAs,
in which she seemed to have faith (Devanadera 2019 and 2020, started with a welcoming, fol-
513-520). How the former Mayor gave thanks lowed by stating the current situation of the
to the people behind her success can be ob- city, next is announcing the accomplished pro-
served in the presented excerpt: jects, then announcing the ongoing projects,
and ending with thanking all the involved par-
My heartfelt gratitude to all honest ties. Since studying linguistic knowledge is a
and hardworking City Government offi- complex multi-level process. Therefore, the for-
cials, heads of offices and employees, Na- mat helps to understand and construct seg-
tional Government Agencies and Instru- ment general knowledge (Ogneva,1). Thus, this
mentalities, officials and employees, and format is essential in political discourse be-
countless private donors who lift me up as cause it can help the speaker deliver the dis-
your local chief executive. With them, I course well without confusing the audience.
also thank all the Dabawenyos who help Welcoming helps to acknowledge the presence
us become better servants with their sup- of the audience and also to give signals that
port and constructive feedback. COVID-19 speech is starting. Stating the current situation
will be with us for the foreseeable fu- of the city informs the audience of what is hap-
ture…(S1, P6,T3) pening in the city, hence raising the question of
(My heartfelt gratitude to all honest what the accomplished projects were, and from
and hardworking City Government offi- that, the speaker should inform the audience of
cials, heads of offices and employees, Na- the things that are needed to be looked forward
tional Government Agencies and Instru- to or the ongoing projects of the former Mayor.
mentalities, officials and employees, and Furthermore, the SOCAs ended with thanks as
countless private donors who lift me up a conclusion to the discourses. It is to wrap eve-
as your local chief executive. With them, rything up and give credit to the involved par-
I also thank all the Dabawenyos who help ties for the city's success during the reign of the
us become better servants with their former Mayor. Indeed, having a format means
support and constructive feedback. having a concrete direction and organized
COVID-19 will be with us for the foresee- thought of the overall discourse. It can help the
able future…) audience to follow what has been discussed by
the speaker and to remember the details with
One must adhere to a specific format when clarity.
speaking in front of an audience in order for

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Ideologies in the SOCAs leadership and her personality as an empow-

In this study, the researchers used the ideo- ered woman. In her SOCAs, she projected her-
logical square of van Dijk to determine the ide- self as someone whom people could trust no
ologies of former Mayor Sara. Teun van Dijk ex- matter what. One of the strongest lines she ut-
amined the connection between society, social tered in one of her SOCAs is in Table 4. The
cognition, and discourse in his theory of ideol- words "rock" and "hard" connote her leader-
ogy. He put forth a model that summarizes the ship and personality. This assured people that
general discursive techniques used in writings her leadership would remain strong and steady
and speeches to depict social groups and their regardless of the adversities.
relationships. Since fundamental political ideo- Good Leader as a Responsible Figure. One
logies are generally expressed through such noticeable feature of the three SOCAs analyzed
polarized division of people based on their in this paper is the prevalence of the mentioned
norms and values, van Dijk's framework projects and programs and implemented ordi-
chooses the ideological square as the analytical nances and policies in Davao City. Mayor Sara
tool (Allami and Barzegar, 95). van Dijk’s Ideo- also gave importance to all her accomplish-
logical Square includes emphasizing positive Us, ments in the years 2018, 2019, and 2020. This
deemphasizing negative Them, deemphasizing was also one way of appreciating her admin-
negative Us, and deemphasizing positive Them. istration and her leadership as the City Mayor.
In this study, "Us" means former Mayor Sara Showing these accomplishments also reflected
and her supporters or members of her govern- how responsible she was as the city's leader be-
ment, while "Them" refers to the other parties cause she succeeded in determining the prob-
against her administration or mayorship. lems and in providing apt solutions for them.
Upon careful observation, it has been found The highlight of her accomplishments as a City
that the only ideology based on van Dijk’s Ideo- Mayor manifests the ideology "positive Us" be-
logical Square is positive Us representation or cause she showed how positive her administra-
"emphasizing our good things." The former tion was in providing solutions to the problems
Mayor acknowledged the efforts and valued the of the Dabawenyos. For example, when she
hardships and accomplishments of her admin- mentioned the words “Eskwela Davao" and
istration. "big-ticket projects," she showed her achieve-
Former Mayor Sara did not use negative ments and the solutions she provided to ad-
Them in her speeches or try to make negative dress the needs of her residents by implement-
comments about the other parties outside of ing these programs or pursuing these projects.
her organization, simply because former Mayor Inspiring Leader as a Fountain of Apprecia-
Sara is a Mayor who focused more on her or- tion. Mayor Sara showed in her SOCAs that she
ganization's success. And that be implied that is an inspiring leader by appreciating her ad-
Mayor Sara is a great Mayor who emphasizes ministration's efforts and contributions and all
the good things in their organization. It can be people who exerted their dedication, service,
presented in the representation of ideologies in and loyalty in the service of Davao City. This can
Table 4 below. be evidenced by how she recognized several of-
Strong Leader as People’s Foundation. This fices, departments, key individuals, and even
is one of the themes that emerged after care- random people in her speeches. This was her
fully analyzing the ideology of "positive Us" in way of giving an air of importance to those who
the SOCAs. This theme talks about how former greatly contributed to her success as City
Mayor Sara became a strong leader by showing Mayor. Her utterance "my heartfelt gratitude"
the Dabawenyos that she was the people's mirrors how she sincerely thanked the govern-
stronghold. Amidst the challenges she faced as ment officials and employees who helped her
Mayor during the years 2018-2020, she re- achieve the goals of her administration during
mained an image of resilience and persistence her mayorship. In relation to the ideology "pos-
for her people. With the identified ideology, itive Us," it can be gleaned that Mayor Sara gave
"positive Us," this theme represents how for- an air of importance to the people whom she
mer Mayor Sara showed the positive side of her sincerely valued, such as those who had been
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 Aperocho et al., 2023 / A Critical Discourse Analysis of Former Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte’s State of the City Addresses (SOCAs)

part of her administration as the City Mayor. welcoming, stating the city's current state, an-
This showed how she acknowledged all of them nouncing the accomplished projects, announc-
as key players in the achievements of her Of- ing the ongoing projects, and thanking. The se-
fice's vision and mission. mantic macrostructure in the SOCA of former
Based on these themes that emerged from Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio in 2020 shows wel-
the identified ideology "positive Us," it can be coming, stating the city's current state, an-
concluded that former Mayor Sara sees her ad- nouncing the accomplished projects, announc-
ministration and her people as assets to the city ing the ongoing projects, and thanking. The va-
during her reign. She tends to acknowledge all riety of macrostructures in the three SOCAs
the efforts that the people are making to im- shows that Mayor Sara used different patterns
prove the city. Furthermore, she was careful in in her speeches to channel information to peo-
terms of her word choice as she did not use ple. These strategies were heavily context-spe-
words that may be a reason for other parties to cific, for example, in the 2020 SOCA, where she
go against her. Because of this, people loved intently expressed thanks to key actors during
how she handled and governed Davao City, her administration to help resolve issues re-
having been considered still as the safest city in lated to the global pandemic. Hence, the use of
the country. As van Dijk suggests, the use of dis- such a macrostructure was deemed important
courses helps ideologies emerge in a political for the effective channeling of the message. The
speech, for example. In the case of former researchers also found out that the most domi-
Mayor Sara, she used discourses not to give fo- nant ideology is the positive Us, in which former
cus to herself but to lift a higher air of im- Mayor Sara acknowledged and recognized the
portance to all the people who became instru- significant contributions of all people who con-
mental in accomplishing her administration's tributed to the annual success of her admin-
goals. This ideology became more apparent in istration. Interestingly, Mayor Sara focuses
her 2020 SOCA, where she acknowledged the more than on elevating her self-image but on
significant contributions of the units of officers thanking the different departments, agencies,
and key individuals who helped her so much in key individuals, and the public for their contri-
combating the challenges brought about by the butions, loyalty, and continued support of all
global pandemic. As Allami and Barzegar her administration's goals and visions for the
posed, the use of effective discourses helps in- City of Davao. This ideology was made appar-
tensify the positiveness of a person or group of ent by Mayor Sara in her use of explicit phrases
people. In the case of Mayor Sara, she lifted the that show gratitude.
morale of these people by acknowledging and
thanking them in her SOCAS. Acknowledgment
The researchers want to express their
Conclusion heartfelt gratitude to Prof. Jennifer S. Payot,
Based on the findings, the rhetorical ex- MEd-LT; Dr. Jerlyn Balones; and Prof. Precious
pressions used by former Mayor Sara Duterte- T. Mongcal, MAEng for their contribution to the
Carpio include metonymies, pronouns and improvement of this paper. Their invaluable
sound bites, and imagery. For former Mayor suggestions enabled the researchers to develop
Sara Duterte-Carpio's SOCA, it was implied that this output of hard work. This academic publi-
politics might be a struggle for power to put cation is also offered to the researchers’ fami-
specific political, economic, and social ideas lies for the continued support and inspiration.
into practice. Additionally, the semantic macro-
structure in the SOCA of former Mayor Sara References
Duterte-Carpio in 2018 is composed of wel- Ancho, Inero Valbuena, et al. “Education and
coming, stating the current state of the city, an- the nation state: An analysis of Philippine
nouncing the accomplished projects, announc- presidential speeches. ”JurnalStudiPe-
ing the ongoing projects, and thanking. The se- merintahan, vol. 11, no. 1, 2020, pp. 63-78,
mantic macrostructure in the SOCA of former journal.umy.ac.id/index.php/jsp/arti-
Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio in 2019 provides cle/view/7690
IJMABER 2732 Volume 4 | Number 8 | August | 2023
 Aperocho et al., 2023 / A Critical Discourse Analysis of Former Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte’s State of the City Addresses (SOCAs)

Born, Andreas, Pieter van Eck and Magnus Jo- Justova, Veronika. Direct and indirect speech
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tion of Election Promises.”Political Psy- Brno.
chology, vol. 39, no. 3, 2017, pp. 685-705. Kolzow, David. “Leading from within: Building
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