ShareThis
Philippine president Benigno Aquino (C) is escorted by outgoing Philippine Army commanding
general Reynaldo Mabagu (R) during a change of command ceremony at the Philippine
army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, Manila on July 23, 2010. Aquino overturned a government
order to send troops onto the streets of Manila to deal with a water crisis, saying this
was an ‘overreaction.’
July 23, 2010
State of the Nation speech set before joint session of Congress
MANILA (PhilTodayNews) — President Benigno Simeon Aquino III is all set to outline his economic and political agenda when he makes his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) before the joint session of Congress on Monday, July 26. The Philippine National Police has been placed on full alert for the SONA, especially against rallies, said Director Roberto Rosales, chief of National Capital Region Police Office.
Leaders of the nation hope the President will use the SONA as a platform to move beyond his campaign rhetoric.
They want Aquino to use his first SONA to detail how he will fight corruption, improve infrastructure, reduce poverty and cut a large budget deficit, rather than recap why investors largely shun the poor Southeast Asian nation.
The SONA will only last from 15 to 20 minutes, according to Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda. Secretary Lacierda said that the President’s maiden SONA will focus on his legislative agenda for the next six years, including the government’s plan to combat corruption, campaign against poverty and the state of the economy. Aquino’s speech would be a simple presentation of the country’s problems and how to tackle them, and the president would not make promises on programs and projects that could not be funded, said Lacierda.
Philippine soldiers march during a change of command ceremony at the Philippine Army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, Manila on July 23, 2010. Philippine President Benigno Aquino overturned a government order to send troops onto the streets of Manila to deal with a water crisis, saying this was an ‘overreaction.’
“There’s no enchanted kingdom,” he added. Lacierda also clarified that Aquino has no plans to disgrace the genuine essence of a President’s Sona by highlighting the problems he purportedly inherited from the Arroyo government. Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, now Pampanga congress-woman, will be one of those who will hear the SONA of Aquino. “The purpose of the Sona is really to explain the true state of the nation when it was left to us by the previous administration (and) because this is his (Aquino’s) first Sona, we’re
coming from the point of view of the previous administration,” he said.
Lacierda implied that apart from disclosing some of the “concerns” reported by the Cabinet secretaries to Aquino in their series of Cabinet meetings that started last Tuesday, the President would be laying out his general plan of action to address the lingering problems of the nation, including poverty and hunger, among other things. “Working from that, we are going to state the situation and then our proposed solutions and the President will advance (and) state his legislative agenda in the State of the Nation Address,” he added.
Senator Juan Ponce Enrile has urged President Aquino to make a strong policy statement on climate change in his first Stateof-the- Nation Address (SONA) to show to the world that his administration is committed and determined to address the global problem. ”His Excellency must send a strong and unequivocal message that we, as a nation, remain steadfast in our position that those who are responsible for the global effects of climate change must be obliged to bear the burden of helping poor nations to adapt to climate change and cushion the people from its destructive and injurious effects,” Enrile said. Enrile also advised the President to convene the Climate Change Commission and run it as a collegial body that would address effectively the tremendous damages that the country suffers due to the effects of climate change.
”I was informed that the Commission met only once or twice since its formation. Worse, I understand that the collegial nature of the Commission has been, by and large, laid aside,” he said. To make the Commission be more effective in its mandate, Enrile filed a proposed Senate resolution seeking an inquiry, in aidof-legislation, into the implementation of Republic Act No. 9729 or “The Climate Change Act of 2009” that created the Climate Change Commission.
Lacierda also said that 70 percent of President Aquino’s SONA will be in Filipino. The last draft of the President’s speech comprises 30 pages, the Presidential spokesman said, adding that the writers include himself (Lacierda), Mai Mislang, Presidential Management Staff chief Secretary Julia Abad, Ricky Carandang and Manolo Quezon III of the Communications Group. According to Lacierda, the Chief Executive could rehearse the delivery of his maiden SONA either in Malacanang or in the House of Representatives. Lacierda said that the President will also include in his SONA the alleged anomalies committed during the previous administration. The Presidential spokesman added that President Aquino will also mention in his speech the problems he has inherited as well as the budget left by the past administration and how much more will be needed today.