MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte will likely deliver his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) via teleconferencing, the method being used by Congress to hold sessions and committee hearings.
House of Representatives Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said under the “blended” style SONA, there will be a limited number of guests who would be physically present in Batasan while others attend through a teleconferencing app.
He added that the adjustment is a must in the conduct of the 5th SONA amid the pandemic, noting that no vaccine has been developed to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection.
“When we say blended, ‘yung iba nasa location, ‘yung iba hindi,” Cayetano said “But the worst thing that can happen is kung ganito pa rin ang sitwasyon at walang immunization, walang vaccine, pupunuin namin ang Batasan tapos magkaka-outbreak dahil nandoon kaming lahat.”
“So, safety will be the (priority) of the day but we will make sure that the President’s speech will be communicated nationwide,” he added.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III has earlier proposed for President Duterte to deliver his next SONA at Malacañang Palace on July 27.
Duterte delivered his past four SONAs in the Session Hall of the House of Representatives at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City.
The SONA is delivered by the President of the Philippines every year to report the state of the country, unveil the government’s agenda for the coming year, and may also propose to Congress certain legislative measures.
The SONA is a constitutional obligation, required by Article VII, Section 23 of the 1987 Constitution: “(T)he President shall address the Congress at the opening of its regular session.”
Article VI, Section 15 also prescribes that the Congress “shall convene once every year on the fourth Monday of July for its regular session.”/PN
