38-minute SONA stretches to 98
MANILA, Philippines - No one in the audience was seen being moved to tears, and the supposedly short State of the Nation Address (SONA) went on from the projected 38 minutes to nearly 98.
But the first SONA of President Duterte yesterday was much applauded, as he digressed frequently from his prepared speech on a teleprompter to speak extemperaneously and crack jokes.
Breaking tradition, Duterte was not welcomed by a contingent of senators and congressmen as he arrived before 4 p.m. at the Batasang Pambansa complex. As he requested, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez also dropped “his excellency” in introducing Duterte.
The hand of film director Brillante Mendoza was evident in the angling of the video coverage of the speech.
Netizens were split on the video coverage, with some praising the artistic angles and others saying it made them dizzy.
Last Sunday, Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said the first time he read the draft speech, “it made me cry.”
He said the SONA would “awaken the patriot” in every Filipino.
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