De Lima: Sona speech shows ‘vintage Duterte’

SENATOR Leila de Lima only had positive words for President Rodrigo Duterte after he delivered his first State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday, saying that what Filipinos witnessed was the kind of speech expected from the firebrand chief executive.

De Lima said that Duterte’s first Sona more or less depicted the true state of the nation.

“Vintage Duterte talaga yung speech: mix of serious stuff, light stuff, jokes, kapilyohan, merong wit. That is vintage Duterte. It’s the first Sona of that kind that he was able to depict of portray the real state of the nation in his own style na kinukuwento lang ang experience niya as a mayor and what the ordinary people would love to hear,” De Lima said.

When asked if she would oppose the proposals of the President such as the push for a shift to federal type of government and seeking emergency powers to ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila, the senator said it would depend on the nuances of the proposals.

“The Senate and the House of Representatives are co-equal naman. Our mindset is not obstructionist. So whenever we clash, whenever we criticize, it is a constructive type criticism. It’s not for the sake of clashing with the executive department. It depends on the specific proposals,” she said.

“The devil is on the details, but we are open depending on the exact appearance of the proposal,” the senator added.

Duterte and De Lima had several exchanges in past over the new administration’s declaration against illegal drugs and criminality, as the latter called for a Senate probe that will investigate the alleged extrajudicial killings.

But everything seems well between the two as Duterte approached De Lima before he ascended toward the rostrum and deliver his Sona.

De Lima admitted that she was surprised and flattered when the President stopped and shook her hand before climbing to the rostrum.

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