Senators give Sona mixed reviews

President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his first State of the Nation Address. INQUIRER PHOTO/JOAN BONDOC

IT WAS a good start, but there could be room for some improvement.

Senators had different takes on the issues President Duterte tackled in his debut State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday, complimenting him for a message that spoke to the masses while hoping for clarification on various points about his legislative agenda.

For starters, Senators Franklin Drilon and Leila de Lima, both former justice secretaries, cited how Mr. Duterte began his over 1-and-a-half hour speech by pointing out problems in the justice system.

“He opened his speech with a recognition of the need to fix our justice system. And it was comprehensive. He outlined how he would like the future to be for our country,” Drilon told reporters after the Sona.

“I was delighted to hear that the first item he mentioned was the justice system. He wants it to work. He pointed out chronic delays in the justice system,” said De Lima, a staunch Duterte critic who is now with the Senate majority supporting the President’s legislative agenda.

FULL TEXT: President Duterte’s first State of the Nation Address

She and fellow Liberal Party member and neophyte Sen. Risa Hontiveros lauded Duterte’s clear statement on the recent United Nations arbitral tribunal ruling on the South China Sea, which favored the Philippines’ bid to invalidate China’s nine-dash line claim over the disputed waters.

Hontiveros said “the ruling must be used by the government to mobilize allies and international public opinion to assert the country’s sovereignty and in advancing genuine peace and stability in the region.”

That Mr. Duterte’s reference to the ruling was brief was not a problem for Sen. Richard Gordon, who added the President should not give away too much about the government’s plans.

“It was very clear – you shouldn’t telegraph your punches. But he did say very clearly that we won; we will fight for that in accordance with what is the pursuit of peace,” Gordon said.

Other lawmakers found Mr. Duterte’s speech wanting on some points.

Neophyte Sen. Joel Villanueva is looking forward to a “people-centered government” after hearing the President’s legislative agenda that focuses on the public welfare.

“It’s interesting and something new, and I think he attained the comfort level of the masses who were listening to him. The important part here is what he really wants to happen, he was able to lay down his platform, giving importance to creating jobs, his outlook on [migrant workers], giving importance to them,” he said.

He and Gordon agreed that Mr. Duterte could have spoken more about the education sector.

“As they say, there’s always room for improvement. I would probably look at the education sector, that we have K to 12 (program) already, and we don’t want to miss the opportunity to look at what’s next after K to 12,” said Villanueva, the former technical education chief.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson hoped Mr. Duterte had spoken about a more concrete roadmap for his term.

“I would have wanted to hear a clearer and more serious 6-year roadmap and see several parallel roads converging at the end of his term showing clear accomplishment, or at the very least, near-accomplishment of the established goal of his administration,” he said.

Sen. Nancy Binay in a statement called the President’s speech a “welcome break from the usual rhetoric and common presentation of statistics and endless finger-pointing.”

“It is noteworthy that his speech had no pinch of vindictiveness and even drew hope and inspiration to many,” said Binay, whose father, former Vice President Jejomar Binay, who is facing corruption charges.

For neophyte Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, Duterte’s speech was the “most heartfelt Sona ever delivered.”

“The President’s speech, especially the parts that were off-script, showed his fierce passion for achieving genuine change for the entire Philippine nation. The President is truly a leader who cares deeply for the future of our people,” he said in a statement.

Gatchalian expressed disappointment that education was only mentioned in passing, with higher education completely omitted from the speech.

“I wish the President had laid out a clear and decisive plan for education. Education is the most vital public service in the fight against poverty, and the absence of any concrete proposals to improve our struggling education system was disappointing,” he said.

Sen. Bam Aquino described Duterte’s Sona as “very refreshing and sincere.”

“I think his speech will be remembered more for those moments that were very personal to him. You could see the sincerity in his face. I think overall people were very refreshed by his speech,” Aquino said in an interview. With a report from Maila Ager, Inquirer.net