MANILA — The next State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Rodrigo R. Duterte in July will have a different format, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Tuesday.
“May bagong format at ang mangyayari iyong SONA really, malilimita siya doon sa mga gusto talagang sabihin ng Presidente sa taumbayan (There will be a new format that will happen in this year’s SONA. The President will limit it to what he really wants to say to the citizens),” Roque said in a Palace briefing.
Roque said Duterte’s third SONA was one of the topics discussed during 25th Cabinet meeting in Malacañang.
He noted that the next SONA will be “the President talking to the people and reporting to the people on matters na malapit sa puso po ng ating Presidente (close to his heart).”
According to Roque, Duterte will be tackling the issue of corruption in his next SONA.
“Iyong kampanya po laban sa korapsyon ay hinaylight ni Presidente noong pinag-uusapan po iyong content ng State of the Nation Address (The campaign against corruption was highlighted by the President when discussing the content of the State of the Nation Address),” Roque said.
Roque stressed that it will be completely different from the usual SONA wherein the chief executive reports on the status of the country, unveils the government’s agenda for the coming year, and proposes to Congress certain legislative measures.
“So iyong mga achievement, siguro may mga ibang pagkakataon nang isa-isahin iyan (So the achievements, perhaps there might be another chance for him to enumerate one by one),” he added.
Duterte has repeatedly said that he will not tolerate even a whiff of corruption from any government official or employee under his administration.
True to his promise, Duterte has fired several officials due to alleged corruption or misconduct while others have tendered their resignation.
Duterte has also created the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission “to directly assist the President in investigating and/or hearing administrative cases primarily involving graft and or corruption against all presidential appointees.”
The commission would have “power, on a complaint, or motu proprio, and concurrently with the Office of the Ombudsman to hear, investigate, receive, gather, and evaluate evidence, intelligence reports, and information in administrative cases against all presidential appointees.” (PNA)