PRESIDENT Marcos (BBM) has asked the House of Representatives to keep his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) “simple” so the public can focus their attention on his message, House Secretary General Mark Llandro Mendoza said yesterday.
“They (The Executive) have asked us to make it simple so he can prepare the message to the general public,” Mendoza told CNN Philippines. “Ang gusto lang po ng Presidente ang maging simple ang SONA day (The President just wants the SONA day to be simple).”
Mendoza also said avid Marcos supporter Paul Soriano, husband of actress Toni Gonzaga who helped in Marcos’ campaign, will direct the President’s SONA.
The House intends to invite around 1,300 guests for Marcos’ first SONA on July 25 at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City.
It will be the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in 2020 that all 315 members of the House of Representatives and 24 senators were invited to physically attend the SONA.
While the SONA will be done face-to-face, guests are required to present a printed copy of a negative RT-PCR test result taken 48 hours before the event.
Mendoza said the House will be on full lockdown starting Thursday as part of security measures. This means that only essential personnel from the engineering department and Office of the Secretary General will be allowed at the Batasan Complex.
The House will open session at 10 a.m. on Monday, during which Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, a first cousin of the President, is expected to be elected Speaker.
It is not yet clear who will steer the floor as the new majority leader but among those being considered for the post of Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers.
Romualdez could not say yet who will be the majority leader but he assured lawmakers from various political parties that they will be proportionately represented under his leadership.
The former majority leader said that while many members of the larger chamber of the 19th Congress are qualified for leadership and committee posts, the House would be guided by “our time-honored traditions of having the respective parties properly represented.”
“We will also go by seniority, merit, experience, and of course, the initiative to make the sacrifice and hard work needed for each of the positions,” Romualdez told reporters.
CHECKPOINTS, WATER CANNONS
Police will establish border control points or checkpoints on Friday as part of security preparations for Marcos’ first SONA.
“We will be implementing by Friday what we call Manila Shield. We adopt this Manila Shield during big events like SONA,” said PNP officer-in-charge Lt. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr.
“Expect that there will be checkpoints from time to time. They will be established on a random basis, depending on the threat assessment on that day,” added Danao.
Danao said policemen manning checkpoints will inspect commuters entering Metro Manila to ensure there will be no untoward incident during the SONA.
He also said some 22,000 policemen, soldiers and force multipliers will be deployed during SONA. The personnel include those who are manning checkpoints, traffic enforcers and crowd control personnel.
Danao said the vicinity of Batasan Pambansa complex will be a no-fly zone area.
“Drones will not be allowed (to fly) in the area,” said Danao.
On whether phone signals will be shut down in the area during SONA, Danao said, “It will all depend on the threat assessment. If the PSG (Presidential Security Group) says we have to shut down the signal, then we will do it.”
Danao said water cannons will be prepositioned near sites of planned protest actions. He said they will be used only if the protesters will become unruly.
“They will be there as part of our preparation, just in case,” he said of the water cannons.
As of yesterday, Danao said, the PNP has not received any serious threat to disrupt the SONA. He said the PNP’s main concern are the protest actions planned by leftist groups.
He reiterated protesters will be allowed to hold protest actions only at freedom parks.
Col. Fernando Ortega, deputy director for administration of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD), said protests will not be allowed on Commonwealth Avenue.
He said the protesters may hold programs at the Quezon City Circle and inside the University of the Philippines campus in Diliman.
“But for the roads, they are not designated places for the rally so the entire stretch of Commonwealth is definitely a no-rally zone,” said Ortega.
He said the QCPD has yet to receive information from the Quezon City government that it has allowed protesters to hold protests outside freedom parks.
Renato Reyes Jr, secretary general of the leftist Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, earlier said his group has applied for a permit from the Quezon City government to be allowed to hold protests along Batasan road.
REROUTING
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority has finalized the traffic re-routing plan for the SONA.
The plan will also see the deployment of some 1,100 traffic enforcers from the agency’s Traffic Discipline Office, Road Emergency Group, Sidewalk Clearing Operations Group, Flood Control and Metrobase along Commonwealth Avenue and other roads leading to and within the vicinity of the Batasang Pambansa Complex.
“Personnel assigned are tasked to manage both vehicular and pedestrian traffic; emergency response; clearing operations; assist in crowd control; and support the operations of the Task Force SONA 2022, Philippine National Police, National Capital Region Police Office, Quezon City Police District, Presidential Security Group, and Quezon City government to ensure a peaceful and orderly SONA,” said MMDA OIC Baltazar Melgar.
Melgar said the agency will implement a “zipper” lane or counterflow on the southbound portion of Commonwealth Avenue to give way to vehicles of government officials and guests going to the Batasan complex as needed.
Motorists are advised to take the following alternate routes as heavy traffic along Commonwealth Avenue is expected during the SONA.
For northbound (Quezon Memorial Circle to Fairview)
– Vehicles from Elliptical Road should take North Avenue, turn right at Mindanao Avenue, turn right to Sauyo Road or take Quirino Highway, then Commonwealth Avenue to reach the point of destination.
For southbound (Fairview to Quezon Memorial Circle)
– Vehicles from Commonwealth Avenue should take Sauyo Road or Quirino highway, turn left at Mindanao Avenue, then turn left at North Avenue to reach the point of destination.
Melgar said motorists using light vehicles may also opt to take:
Northbound (Quezon Memorial Circle to Fairview via Marikina)
– Light vehicles from Elliptical Road (QMC) should turn right at Maharlika St., turn left at Mayaman St., turn right at Maginhawa St., turn left at C.P. Garcia Avenue, turn right at Katipunan Ave., turn left at A. Bonifacio Ave., go straight to Gen. Luna Ave., turn right at Kambal Rd., turn left at GSIS Road, turn left at Jones St., turn right at Gen. Luna Ave., go straight to A. Mabini St., turn left at Rodriguez Highway, turn left at Payatas Road to reach the point of destination.
– Light vehicles from C5 Road may turn left at Magiting St., turn right at Maginhawa St., turn left at Mayaman St. to Kalayaan Avenue to reach the point of destination.
For trucks coming from C-5 along Katipunan Avenue, Melgar said they should take Luzon flyover then turn left at Congressional Avenue to reach the point of destination. — With Victor Reyes and Ashzel Hachero
