The tough-talking Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte made a controversial declaration of "separation" from his country's long-time ally, the U.S. (Photo : Getty Images)
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte delivered his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 25 and pushed his plans to push federalism, his war against drugs, and his plan of action with regard to the country's territorial dispute with China.
In a Senate media interview, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said he expects Duterte to talk about his administration's push for a shift to a federal form of government. The country is currently a unitary state. Examples of countries that are federal states include the United States, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, and Australia.
Pimentel also expects the president to talk about his ongoing all-out war against illegal drugs, crimes, and corruption. Duterte, who dominated in the national elections last May, won over the promise of eradicating drugs in the country. Recently, he has named three Chinese nationals who are in charge of operating the Philippines' largest drug syndicates.
People are also looking forward to hearing the president's update on the government's action regarding its dispute with China over the South China Sea. An international tribunal has already recognized the Philippines' territorial claims, but China has refused to acknowledged the tribunal's ruling.
The SONA is an annual speech by the president to a joint session of the Congress of the Philippines. The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives will call the joint session of the two legislative bodies, which comprises 293 congressmen and 24 senators. As such, the 17th Congress will convene in the morning before Duterte delivers his SONA in the afternoon
The event, which will be attended by the country's top politicians, diplomats, Supreme Court justices, and other special guests, will take place at the Plenary Hall of the Batasang Pambansa Complex, the home of the Philippine Congress. According to the Rappler, the former presidents have also been invited to Duterte's SONA, following protocol and tradition. Former presidents Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (now a congresswoman), Joseph Estrada (now mayor of the country's capital city, Manila), and Fidel Ramos have already confirmed their attendance. Former president Benigno Aquino III, however, had earlier said he will not be attending the event.
There are details about the SONA that are a departure from tradition or from common practice. For one, Duterte will not be welcomed by a large group of lawmakers, the report wrote. Instead, he will be greeted only by Pimentel and Davao del Norte 1st District Representative Pantaleon Alvarez, who is currently eyed as the next Speaker of the House, at the entrance.
CNN Philippines also reported that another major change that will be introduced in this SONA is the dress code. Lawmakers and their spouses have been requested to wear business attire instead of the elaborate and expensive formal Filipiniana clothes. In the past years, the SONA has been regarded as a lavish red carpet showcase of men in Barong Tagalog shirts and ladies in long gowns.
The news report cited incoming Finance Department spokesperson Paola Alvarez as saying that Duterte's SONA will not be a "fashion show." She said that the event will focus on the president's message to the Filipino people and on the 10-point economic agenda of his administration.
Also for a change, there will be no more barricades on Commonwealth Avenue, where the Batasang Pambansa building is located. The report recalled that the road has been the venue for anti-government protests during SONA in the past years, and barricades were used to block these rally groups. However, while security will remain tight around the building and over 16,000 policemen will be deployed for the event, the National Capital Region Police Office is confident that this time, there is no reason to worry about anti-government disruptions or protests.
Watch the preparations for Duterte's first SONA in this video below:
