Duterte arrives at Batasan for second Sona

(Updated, 4:05 p.m.) President Rodrigo Duterte arrived Monday afternoon at the House of Representatives in Quezon City for his second State of the Nation Address (Sona).

Duterte arrived onboard the presidential chopper shortly before 4 p.m.

The President was received by Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief Gen. Eduardo Año, Senate sergeant-at-arms Jose Balajadia Jr. and House sergeant-at-arms Rolando Detabali.

At the end of the honor guards formation, he was welcomed by Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III and Speaker Pantleon Alvarez.

The Chief Executive was also welcomed by Senate and House officials.

He was then escorted to the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) before proceeding to the session hall for the joint session of Congress. He was scheduled to deliver his speech at 4 p.m.

Communications Secretary Martin Andanar has said Duterte’s speech would be longer than his first Sona but more “meaningful” while Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the President’s Sona would be “realistic bit hopeful.”

READ: Andanar: Expect longer, meaningful Sona from President | Sona ’17: ‘Frank, realistic, hopeful’

“The President’s State of the Nation Address will be rendered in broad strokes reviewing past achievements, stating the present situation and announcing future prospects,” Abella said in statement. “On the whole it will be frank, challenging, realistic but hopeful.”

He said the speech would be in English and would take approximately 50 minutes.

“Given there will be pauses for applause and off-the-cuff remarks, the speech may take about an hour and thirty minutes,” he said.

Duterte is set to deliver his Sona amid a record-high net public satisfaction rating of +66 and a high support for his martial law declaration in Mindanao.

But his Sona was also met with protests as demonstrators expressed their increasing disappointment with the policies of the Duterte administration. IDL/rga