Duterte meeting team for SONA preparations: Andanar

July 19, 2019

Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said President Rodrigo Duterte is set to have a briefing for his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) scheduled Monday afternoon.

In a radio interview Friday, Andanar said Duterte will edit his speech and the director will tell him his blocking for Monday’s SONA.

“This afternoon we will have a briefing with President Duterte and there we can see him edit his speech and at the same time he will be inform on the blocking for SONA,” he said.

Andanar added there will be a Post-SONA press conference on July 23.

"So that we can clarify whatever is needed to be address on incidents that will happen in SONA,” said Andanar.

He cannot how long will be Duterte's speech.

“Let’s see because the president has a history of doing ad lib,” he said.

Last year, Duterte stuck to his 48-minute speech. In 2017, his speech took two hours and in 2016, it lasted one hour and 32 minutes.

Asked if he will speak on the West Philippine Sea, Andanar said to just wait  what the president will say.

“Let’s wait for it because the president said it in an ambush interview. So if the president will really do it, that will be exciting,” he said.

Andanar said Duterte might mention in his SONA about the legacy his administration will leave for Filipinos.

“What is important here is the Duterte legacy that for the next three years, we will be focused on leaving a legacy for the Filipinos. Like poverty alleviation, to lower the poverty rate plus 21 percent to 14 percent; then to uplift our economy to upper middle class; our infrastructure projects, the Build, Build, Build that the Duterte administration will focused for the next three years so that the people can really see a hard legacy,” he said.

“So the next president will be pressured because the performance bar is high,” he added.

He said the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict will also be highlighted.

“So that once communism, rebellion ends in the countryside, the growth of the country will be continuous,” said Andanar. Ella Dionisio/DMS