Sotto expects Duterte to tackle virus response, law and order, terrorism in SONA

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Vicente Sotto III is expecting President Rodrigo Duterte to tackle the government’s response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, as well as issues on law and order and terrorism, in his penultimate State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 27.

“We expect him to concentrate and focus on the recovery program of the Philippines as far as the pandemic and the economic recovery program is concerned,” Sotto said in an interview with CNN Philippines.

Sotto said there are several proposed measures in line in Congress which seek to help the country recover from the pandemic such as the Financial Institutions Strategy Transfer (FIST) Act, the Government Financial Institutions Unified Initiatives to Distressed Enterprises for Economic Recovery (GUIDE) Act, and the Accelerated Recovery and Investments Stimulus for the Economy (ARISE) Act.

Sotto said the Senate will also be cooperative in the passage of the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, or Bayanihan 2.

The Senate President said the upper chamber will approve the measure on July 27.

Sotto is also expecting that the executive department to have a plan to provide for enhancement “of what we have learned already” from the pandemic.

“Hopefully, the government has learned from this and we will be able to come up with better plans and programs to handle this pandemic and future epidemics and pandemics to come, that is what I am hoping for,” Sotto said.

Further, Sotto also said he expects Duterte to touch on the issue of law and order as well as terrorism.

To recall, Duterte earlier signed the controversial Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 into law despite strong opposition from lawyer groups, human rights advocates, and even some lawmakers.

The law seeks to strengthen the Human Security Act of 2007 and criminalizes incitement to terrorism “by means of speeches, proclamations, writings, emblems, banners, or other representations.”

It also allows the detention of suspects for up to 24 days without charges and empowers an anti-terrorism council to identify persons or groups as suspected terrorists who could be subjected to arrests and surveillance.

/MUF