MANILA, Philippines — For the third time in a row, former president Benigno Aquino III will not attend President Duterte’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 23.
According to the Inter-Parliamentary Relations Service and Special Affairs Bureau (IPRSAB) of the House of Representatives, “former president Aquino sent his regrets.”
Asked whether Malacañang cares about reports that Aquino would skip Duterte’s third SONA on Monday, presidential spokesman Roque said in a text message: “No, that’s his decision.”
But IPRSAB has confirmed the attendance of former presidents Fidel Ramos, Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
IPRSAB also confirmed the attendance of Vice President Leni Robredo, the highest ranking elected leader from Aquino’s Liberal Party.
The annual event will also be attended by former Senate presidents Juan Ponce Enrile, Aquilino Pimentel Jr., and Manny Villar as well as former speakers Jose de Venecia and Prospero Nograles. Villar also served as speaker in 2000 before elected as senator in 2001.
Security
The leadership of the House is also all set for the SONA with security measures and program preparations in place.
“Just to assure you, based on what we have been doing before, we prepare for the worst but we expect the best. We hope for the best, but we are ready in case anything happens,” said House secretary-general Cesar Strait Pareja, chair of the SONA 2018 Steering Committee.
Last year, security forces imposed a lockdown period three days before the SONA. Only those who have work or business in the House were allowed entry to the institution.
House Sergeant-at-Arms and retired Lt. Gen. Roland Detabali said House officials are more prepared this year in securing Duterte, the first family and other VIPs.
“We are confident that we will be more coordinated and sure to be very accessible to any of our stakeholders and our VIPs,” he said.
“We have more agencies, forces and equipment that can deal with any emergencies now. We are actually doing exercises so that we can deal with these problems,” he added.
Mass movements and terror groups are among the threats being monitored by the Philippine National Police in preparation for SONA, said Director Gregorio Pimentel, chief of the PNP Directorate for Intelligence.
National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar said the “SONA security would be like the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting of leaders and the the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit that turned out to be orderly and peaceful.”
During the ASEAN meeting and APEC Summit, more than 10,000 policemen were deployed.
This year’s SONA, 6,000 anti-riot cops will be scattered in the streets near the Batasan Pambansa complex in Quezon City, including the Mendiola Bridge leading to the Malacañang Palace.
Eleazar also expressed belief that Duterte’s third SONA would be peaceful like the past two years as leaders of militant groups expressed willingness to talk with NCRPO officials to establish ground rules during the protest rally.
Leaders of the protest rally would meet today at the Quezon City Sports Club to come up with their demands and guidelines to be delivered during the stakeholders meeting tomorrow at the same venue.
“The good thing about this coming SONA is both sides are talking unlike in the past where no consultation was made resulting in a violent confrontation despite the deployment of container vans and barbed wire,” Eleazar said. – With Non Alquitran, Cecile Suerte Felipe, Alexis Romero