Sona seen to harp on economy

Malacañang has begun drafting President Benigno Aquino III’s fourth State of the Nation Address (Sona) which he will deliver during the joint opening session of the 16th Congress on July 22.

Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras is the point person in collating all the accomplishments of the administration from the different departments and agencies of the government, Malacañang said on Saturday.

“The PMS (Presidential Management Staff) is responsible for tracking the promises made last in the last Sona—what we have delivered, what we failed to deliver,” said presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda in an interview over state-run Radyo ng Bayan.

Lacierda said he was told by Undersecretary Manolo Quezon III, one of the President’s speechwriters, that the “outline” of the speech had been revised twice.

“It’s just the outline, not the (full) speech yet,” said Lacierda.

“Maybe between now and the State of the Nation Address, apart from the (Cabinet) briefings, the daily work of the President will be engaging—if there are opportunities to meet—with speechwriters and also with the Cabinet secretaries, PMS, to discuss the State of the Nation Address,” he said.

On July 22, when the legislature convenes to formally open the 16th Congress, Mr. Aquino will deliver his fourth report to the public.

The President is widely expected to highlight the economic gains of his three-year-old administration and the structural reforms he has instituted since assuming office in 2010.

With a resounding victory for the ruling party and its allies in May’s midterm elections, Mr. Aquino will seek the adoption of his legislative agenda that has turned the once basket case of Asia into the region’s fastest-growing economy.

When he was interviewed on Monday, the President made it clear that he would let the country’s strong economic performance speak for itself.