PDut to deliver 50-minute Sona
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will deliver a “direct to the point” speech during his State of the Nation Address (Sona) on July 24, which is estimated to run for about 50 minutes, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said Friday.
Andanar said that during Duterte’s rehearsal in Panacan, Davao City last Thursday night, the original 38-page address was compressed to only about 18 pages, containing the administration’s accomplishments in its one year in office, as well as the pressing issues hounding the country like the drug problem and the crisis in Marawi City.
He said the President will deliver his speech in English but might also insert extemporaneous remarks expressed either in Tagalog or Cebuano.
“In 18 pages, it would run for around 45 minutes. So we really need to edit it out. So the speech would be between 15 and 18 pages because we have to consider the ad-lib. Just in case the President issued ad-lib statements, it would then be between 40 to 50 minutes,” Andanar said in a radio interview.
“The speech will be direct to the point, depending of course on the accomplishments and pressing matters today, especially the armed conflict in Marawi and the problem on illegal drugs,” he added.
Duterte’s first Sona held on July 25, 2016, touched on his campaign promises-- to stamp out illegal drugs, corruption, and criminality under his watch. He also enumerated the administration’s strong will to push for big-ticket infrastructure projects, pass the tax reform package, and ensure government’s transparency through Freedom of Information executive order, among others.
Malacañang, in a press statement, said Duterte’s address to the nation this year will revolve around the theme “A Comfortable Life for All.” It will be supported by the government’s three key agenda, namely “prosperity for all, law and order, and peace.”
The President is scheduled to deliver his second Sona around 4 p.m. on Monday, July 24, at the plenary hall of the Batasan Pambansa in Quezon City.
On Thursday, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the public could expect that Duterte would give a “sensible, solid, and forwardlooking” remark.
“He will give a sense of where we are going, where he is leading us into the near future. It should be sensible and solid and forward-looking,” he said.
Malacañang said the President’s family members were expected to grace the event.
It said lawmakers and their spouses, foreign diplomats, government officials, and other dignitaries were also invited.
The guests were again discouraged from wearing tuxedos, evening gowns, or elaborate outfits and instead urged to be clad in business attire or Barong for men, and business attire or Filipiniana dress at knee length for women.
Last year, Duterte simply donned a Barong Tagalog with rolled-up sleeves and paired it with dark-colored pants. This year, he is expected to wear his signature-style Barong Tagalog.
Malacañang said stricter security measures would be enforced during Sona, in anticipation of possible security threats. It added that a no-fly zone, which includes drones, would also be in effect.
Around 6,000-strong police force would be deployed to ensure safety and security, said the National Capital Region Police Office. The figure is 50 percent higher than 4,000 policemen deployed last year.
The Metro Manila Development Authority, meanwhile, would deploy approximately 2,000 traffic enforcers to man the traffic flow. SunStar Philippines