MANILA, Philippines —Although Vice President Sara Duterte praised President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address (Sona), she believes many were inundated by an overwhelming amount of economic information at the beginning of the speech.
As a result, many of the audience members may not have understood the numbers and figures presented by the President, thus, it took a “long time” for them to respond.
“Initially, the Sona of President Marcos, I think everyone or many of those who do not understand economic numbers were overwhelmed with the numbers in the first part of the speech,” she said in a post-Sona forum when asked about her assessment of the President’s speech.
“That was, I think, the reason why it took a long time for people to start clapping because the economic part was in the beginning, and many people really do not understand economic numbers,” Duterte added.
READ: Bongbong Marcos’ first SONA: It’s all about economy
The Vice President, however, said she “truly appreciated” the form of the speech, describing it as “on point and perfect.”
“I really liked how the speech was written because I do not write that way, and I truly appreciated the form that speech was composed,” she said.
“And as a Cabinet Secretary, and one who is the other half of the Uniteam, I would say that the Sona of President Marcos was on point and perfect,” Duterte added.
In an earlier statement, Duterte, who also concurrently sits as the Education secretary, lauded how Marcos Jr.’s Sona contained plans to continue the achievements of her father’s administration, former President Rodrigo Duterte.
She said her office supports the initiatives to continue her father’s work, vowing to work with Marcos Jr. to attain its goals while “ensuring that the interest and the welfare of the Filipino people will come first before everything else.”
For her part, Duterte said she would give her 100% commitment to achieving the plans and programs under her office as the Vice President and Education secretary.
READ: VP Sara praises Bongbong Marcos for continuing gains of father Duterte