President Rodrigo Duterte gestures as Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III (left) and Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez look on during his second State of the Nation Address at the House of Representatives in Quezon City on Monday, July 24, 2017. (Photo by AARON FAVILA / AP)
Senators expected more from the second State of the Nation Address (Sona) of President Rodrigo Duterte, who delivered a two-hour speech on Monday before a joint session of Congress at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City.
“It’s akin to a bad open mic performance,” Sen. Risa Hontiveros of the minority bloc said. “Same old material. Bloody war on drugs, martial law, death penalty, and wanton disregard for democracy and human rights.”
“All sound and fury, lacking in achievements for the bold promises he made,” she added.
Sen. Richard Gordon said he was expecting Duterte to discuss his plans for the rehabilitation of the conflict-torn Marawi City.
“He was very well into it. Then he decided to ad lib,” Gordon said in an ambush interview. “But nonetheless, I was expecting he would say something about the rehabiltation of Marawi City. And there were mixed signals there. He says: ‘We’re not going to attack. just die on the vine’.”
Sen. J.V. Ejercito also said Duterte lacked plans for infrastructure and economic strategy.
Ejercito was also apprehensive about the tax reform package Duterte lobbied in his Sona.
The President pressed the Senate to pass the comprehensive tax reform in full.
“I have apprehensions on the proposed comprehensive tax reform in its present form,” Ejercito said in an ambush interview. “Definitely, I will not be voting in favor of the comprehensive tax reform kung ito mismo ang ipapasa.”
“He should be briefed thoroughlym,” he added. “They should study it further. I think it’s just [Trade] Secretary [Carlos] Dominguez who just briefed him.”
But Ejercito said he favored the President’s recommendation to pass the reimposition of death penalty.
Sen. Grace Poe also hoped that Duterte would mention the Freedom of Information measure, as well as the emergency powers for the improvement of the country’s infrastructure.
“Kapag iyan ay priority bill, mayorya ng mga kasama namin sa Kongreso at Senado ay mga kaalyado niya, siguradong maipapasa iyon. Pero kung hindi nababanggit ay siyempre kalbaryo ang pagdadaanan din nun,” Poe said in an ambush interview.
Sen. Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, meanwhile, expressed support for Duterte’s vow that the drug war would be unrelentless despite widespread criticism, even from the international community.
“Umpisa pa lang gustong gusto ko na sapagkat ‘yung hindi ko narining ng ilang taon ‘yung tungkol sa illegal drugs, ‘yun agad ang pang una niya eh,” he said. /atm