MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte’s final State of the Nation Address (Sona), which he rehearsed four times, is expected to last for about an hour, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Monday.
“He rehearsed at least four times. The last time was yesterday, last night, and we’re expecting the speech to last for about an hour,” he said in an interview over CNN Philippines.
Roque said the bulk of the President’s speech would be a recap on what his administration has accomplished in the past five years, such as gains on the drug war and infrastructure under the “Build, Build, Build” program
Duterte is also expected to endorse at least five legislative bills to the 18th Congress, which are bills on the creation of a virology institute, center for disease control, and department of overseas Filipino workers, as well as the Public Service Act, Foreign Investments Act, and the GUIDE bill, he added.
The President will also mention the government’s pandemic response and highlight laws, which were passed under his term, that “promoted the welfare of the people,” including the Universal Health Care law, Roque said.
He added that Duterte is also expected to address the issue on the West Philippine Sea, highlighting that the government will not “surrender even a single inch of our territory to any other foreign power although we will pursue any bilateral relations with everyone including China.”