PRESIDENT Duterte is expected to unveil a recovery roadmap to help the country recover from the effects of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in his fifth state of the nation address on Monday, July 27, his spokesman Harry Roque said yesterday.
Roque, in an interview with CNN Philippines, said COVID-19 is the biggest problem the country is facing right now and it is expected the President would talk about the pandemic, the actions already taken by government and other plans the country would undertake to overcome and recover from the contagion.
“He will be presenting now a roadmap for recovery, which actually, if you’ve noticed the economic team has not unveiled yet. And I think the reason is they want to unveil it in the SONA itself and in many fora after the SONA,” Roque said. No additional detail about the roadmap was released.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said that with the conclusion of the three pre-SONA forums which highlighted the accomplishments of the various government agencies over the past years, the President would be able to focus his speech on COVID-19 issues and other things that he wants to say to the public, including the plans that he wants to accomplish in the remainder of his term.
Roque reiterated that the President would physically deliver his SONA from the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City in front of a limited number of people.
Presidential Security Group Commander Colonel Jesus Durante III, in a statement, said heightened security measures would be observed during the event to ensure the safety and well being of the President.
Radio Television Malacañang (RTVM), in an interview, assured the public the SONA would be delivered in full and without edits. The assurance was made after Malacanag drew flak for airing an alleged edited speech that Duterte delivered in Jolo where the President’s rants against ABS-CBN and Rappler were removed.
The SONA speech will be streamed through government station TV 4 and the government’s live Facebook page and Youtube channel.
All guests who will attend the SONA, including lawmakers and their staff, will have to pass two consecutive COVID-19 tests before they are allowed to enter the Batasan Pambansa.
The tests will be held a day before the SONA (swab) and another test (rapid) on the morning of July 27, according to House deputy secretary general Dr. Ramon Ricardo Roque.
Roque said the testing will be held at the De Venecia Hall at the South Wing Annex building of the Batasan Complex.
He said guests from the Senate and Malacañang will have their own collection venue for their COVID tests.
“If a House member or a senator tests positive, they’ll no longer be allowed but if it’s a technical staff, they’ll have alternatives and they will be swabbed, too,” he told a press briefing.
The media will also be barred from physically covering the opening of the Second Regular Session of the House of Representatives because of the strict health protocols.
The Second Regular Session will open at 10 a.m. and is expected to adjourn after the opening speech of Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano. The SONA will start at 4 pm.
House Secretary-General Luis Montales said the congressmen who will attend the opening of session will be the same members who will attend the SONA.
Health protocols like wearing of face masks, face shields, and physical distancing of two meters from each other will be strictly followed.
Floor markings will be placed at all entrances, and only four passengers will be allowed inside the elevator at a time.
Persons with 37.5 degrees or higher temperatures will be denied entry and will be brought to quarantine tents.
House Sergeant at Arms Ramon Apolinario said the Batasan Complex will be locked down starting Friday.
FAILING MARK
The labor sector gave Duterte a failing mark for his continued inability to deliver on his campaign promises to workers more than four years since he came to power.
In its State of Labor Address 2020, the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), Nagkaisa! Labor Coalition (Nagkaisa), and Pagkakaisa ng Uring Manggagawa (Paggawa) said Duterte has been “a miserable failure for workers.”
Marching under the banner “United Workers,” they trooped to the main office of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Manila and said Duterte’s mishandling of the coronavirus disease has caused thousands to lose their sources of livelihood.
They also lamented the insufficient resources allotted for wage subsidies and other social protection programs for formal and informal sector workers.
They said the few workers who have gone back to work have to travel in hazardous conditions using mass transportation systems. — With Wendell Vigilia and Gerard Naval
