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TODAY’S second State of the Nation Address (SONA) of Rodrigo Duterte will be in keeping with the President’s “simple” taste.
Duterte is expected to deliver his speech at 4 p.m. and tell the Filipinos about the situation of the Philippines, highlight the accomplishments of his administration and lay down his plans for the years ahead. His speech was drafted in English but he, like last year, might deliver some off-the-cuff remarks.
Themed “A Comfortable Life for All,” the speech is believed to resonate better with more Filipinos. The theme is supported by the administration’s three key agenda – prosperity for all, law and order, and peace.
Duterte will submit his administration’s proposed 2018 national budget on the day of the SONA – a first in recent Philippine history. The biggest chunk of the proposed P3.767-trillion budget was allotted for education, infrastructure development and health care.
A technical report titled “President’s Report to the People” will be uploaded online, while printed copies of the same report will be distributed to select schools, embassies, government offices, and other institutions after the SONA.
The speech will be aired live on PTV, Presidential Communications Facebook page, and RTVM YouTube channel. The hashtag #DuterteSONA2017 will be used for social media postings.
NO ‘POMP AND PAGEANTRY’
“Simple arrangements” were made at the session hall, lobbies and reception areas of the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City. The three-level galleries and plenary floor have a seating capacity of 1,300 but additional seats were set up.
Aside from lawmakers and their spouses, foreign diplomats, government officials and other dignitaries will grace the annual event. Around 3,000 guests are expected.
Wearing tuxedos, evening gowns or elaborate outfits, while not prohibited, is discouraged at Duterte’s SONA – shunning the usual pomp and pageantry.
The dress code, just like the previous year, is business attire or barong for men, and business attire or Filipiniana dress at knee length for women. The President is expected to wear his signature-style Barong Tagalog.
TIGHT SECURITY
Security measures will be tight. A no-fly zone (drones included) will be in effect.
A 6,000-strong force from the National Capital Region Police Office is expected at the event – 50 percent higher than last year’s 4,000 police officers. It includes Civil Disturbance Management units and a Special Weapons and Tactics team.
Personnel from the Joint Task Force – National Capital Region, Bureau of Fire Protection, and emergency personnel and ambulances will be on standby.
Aside from the Presidential Security Group, the House of Representatives will use its own security service – the Legislative Security Bureau – to ensure the safety and security of SONA attendees.
BY TRADITION
Duterte is set to arrive by air or land at 3:30 p.m. He will be accorded arrival honors by the Armed Forces chief of staff, the sergeant-at-arms of the Senate and House of Representatives, who will escort him toward the rear entrance as they walk past honor guards.
The Senate president and the House speaker, and a welcoming committee comprising the Senate majority leader, House majority floor leader, Senate secretary, and House secretary-general will meet Duterte at the main door and lead him to the Legislators’ Lounge, where he is paid a courtesy call by Congress leaders, before proceeding to the Plenary Hall for the joint session.
After which, the joint session of Congress is called to order, the national anthem is sung and an invocation is said, before the President descends to the rostrum to deliver his SONA.
At a by-invitation cocktail reception after the SONA, Duterte will meet with members of the diplomatic corps. A “very simple menu of food selection” awaits invited guests at the reception. (With Presidential Communications Operations Office/PN)
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