MANILA — With acclaimed film director Joyce Bernal calling the shots, President Rodrigo Duterte’s third State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 23 is expected to be “very exciting,” a Palace official said.
“It should be a very exciting SONA as far as directing is concerned,” Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar said in an interview over radio DZRH on Monday night.
After inspecting the Batasang Pambansa plenary hall on Thursday last week, Andanar said Bernal’s team conducted a ‘run-through’ at Malacanang on Monday.
“They had a townhall. So Director Joyce explained what she wants to happen, what she wants to show during the State of the Nation Address,” Andanar said.
The communications chief said Duterte’s third SONA is another opportunity for Bernal to showcase her art talents.
“But what I can tell you is that, Director Joyce is very busy. Actually she is really hands on in this SONA,” Andanar said.
Bernal had expressed her desire to capture how “patriotic” President Duterte is in his third SONA on Monday.
“Let’s get into the psyche on how he would deliver and report all his accomplishments or his plans for the Philippines. I want it to be patriotic,” Bernal told the media after an ocular inspection at Batasang Pambansa last week.
Bernal also wants to show Duterte as a “mayor, father, and President”.
The film and movie director replaced Brillante Mendoza, the director of the Chief Executive’s first two SONAs.
Earlier, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte will read his SONA speech in not more than 35 minutes since many of Duterte’s accomplishments in his second year in office had already been shared by Cabinet clusters in a three-part series pre-SONA.
Roque said the President will deliver his third SONA ‘straight from the heart’. (Jelly Musico/PNA)