By Brian Campued
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said that the speech for his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) is already 80% complete, assuring the public that his team is “working very hard” on the issues he will tackle on July 28.
In a media interview at the Blair House in Washington, DC following his meeting with United States President Donald Trump, Marcos said he will be focusing on the social programs of the government “for the people in need.”
“We will talk about the programs that we are going to—that we have initiated and will continue to promote and endorse… until the end of this term. Hopefully, it will continue after my term,” he said.
As the SONA reports on the current state of the country in various aspects as well as presents the accomplishments and plans of the government for the year and until the end of the President’s term, Marcos explained that this year’s speech will be different from his previous addresses as “the state of the nation today is different from what it was last year and the last year before that.”
“We’ll start work on Thursday. I’m sure we’ll work on it over the weekend. So, mahahabol namin ‘yon. Because what we have already written is substantial… The SONA is about 80 percent written. So, kaunti na lang ‘yung fine-tuning,” he added.
‘Highly inappropriate’
Less than a week before the SONA on Monday, the Chief Executive expressed dismay over reports that some government personnel were putting up SONA-related materials in public areas amid the inclement weather that has caused widespread flooding in many parts of the country.
“It was a surprise. I only found out early this morning when I got up. That’s what they’re doing,” he said.
“It is highly inappropriate… Eh baha na nga, bakit pa kayo maglalagay diyan.”
On Tuesday, the Palace suspended all SONA-related preparations and directed concerned government agencies to focus on disaster response and relief operations, particularly in flooded communities.
-av
