Palace urges public to listen to SONA; Marcos to highlight accomplishments

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang is urging the public to listen to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fifth and penultimate State of the Nation Address (SONA) today, describing it as “simple, but dignified.” Asked in a recent interview for his advice to Filipinos who have lost their trust in the President, as reflected in surveys, Presidential Communications Secretary Dave Gomez said: “Listen to the SONA.” “They should try to understand it – this is the President’s report to the nation – they will see that the President has really accomplished a lot,” Gomez said during an interview on Bilyonaryo News Channel on Thursday. Akbayan party-list Rep. Chel Diokno yesterday said Marcos should go beyond promises and empty rhetoric in his fifth SONA. “If the President is indeed serious about eradicating corruption and strengthening accountability, he must ensure that all those responsible for the abuse of public funds are held accountable and put behind bars, whether they are allies or not,” Diokno said in a statement. “He should also push for the passage of meaningful reforms, including measures to strengthen the party-list system so that it truly represents marginalized and underrepresented sectors, as well as the Right to Information Act to promote transparency and accountability in government,” he said. Gomez earlier said the President would report on “a lot of accomplishments” in the areas of education, affordable health care, transparency in public works and food security. Radio Television Malacañang will direct the President’s SONA, while the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office Chorale will sing the national anthem, Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro announced at a recent press briefing. When asked about the President’s speech, Castro repeated Marcos’ recent statement, “Abangan ang susunod na kabanata (wait for the next chapter).” Marcos made the remark in a chance interview in Pampanga last Friday when asked whether he would tackle corruption in his address. In his SONA last year, Marcos exposed the multibillion-peso corruption in the government’s flood control projects, telling public officials “Mahiya naman kayo” (Have some shame). Early this month, Marcos warned the government is not done yet in holding into account those behind substandard and ghost projects in the country, including those in the past administrations. Castro challenged Marcos’ critics who claimed that the administration has not filed cases against the so-called big fish to sue them if they have solid evidence against these personalities.