Aquino on Binay’s ‘true sona’: Facts only, please

President Benigno Aquino III (right) and Vice President Jejomar Binay share the stage in this file photo taken during a meeting over overseas Filipino workers’ concerns in Pasay City. Binay is set to deliver a counter state of the nation address Monday, August 3, 2015. LYN RILLON/INQUIRER

President Benigno Aquino III is hoping that Vice President Jejomar Binay would only state facts and present “right information” when he delivers his “true state of the nation address,” or Tsona.

“One would hope that he (Binay) would honor his pledge to serve the people and part of that is giving them the right information,” Aquino told reporters on Monday.

The President said Binay was free to air his opinion against the administration.

“We are in a democracy. Everybody is entitled to their opinion so long as they conform to the rules and the laws of the land. They are free to speak their mind,” he said.

Aquino said that he was standing by what he stated in his two-hour State of the Nation Address (Sona) last July 27, noting that people could only find fault in the placing of punctuation marks in his speech.

“Wala akong tradisyon o record na nagsisinungaling kaninuman. So iyon na, I stand by what we said. (I have no tradition or record of telling lies to anyone. So I stand by what we said),” Aquino said.

Binay is set to deliver his Tsona at the Cavite State University (CSU) gym in Indang, Cavite Monday afternoon.

Binay’s close aides were mum on the content of his speech, only saying that Binay would be “statesmanlike” when he delivers it.

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