JULY 24, 2016

NR # 4271B

House of Representatives all set for President Dutertes

first SONA on Monday
The House of Representation is all prepared for the opening of the 17 th Congress and the
first State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, with House
officials and Secretariat employees able to fully comply with the simple arrangements required
by Malacaang for the important event.
House Secretary-General Atty. Marilyn Barua-Yap said preparations for this years SONA
went on smoothly because these called for simple arrangements at the House, which is the venue
of the event.
The preparations were not really very difficult in terms of the requirements. Like for
example, the Presidents team wanted simple arrangements for the session hall, the lobbies, the
reception areas and the cocktails. Cut and dried naman kami, said Yap.
Even for the Presidents SONA speech, Yap said the Presidents team did not ask for any
provisions for power point presentation.
I expect the Presidents SONA to be straightforward and would last for a maximum of 30
minutes unlike previous presidential addresses which usually lasted one hour and 45 minutes.
The President will outline his program of government, probably focusing on the same things he
has been talking about the last time like law and order, national security, and economic agenda.
He has a strong economic team and his economic agenda has a good focal point, which is the
agriculture sector, and there is also a balance between the agriculture sector and foreign
investments, said Yap.
From Friday to Sunday just before SONA, the final House preparations for the SONA
involve arrangements of the session hall, cleaning, checkup of electrical connections, providing
needs of the Presidents coverage team like the RTVM, and clearing operations of security forces
of Malacaang according to Yap.
All security forces are at the holding areas by that time. Our caterers are coming in
Sunday so they are all in place when we open in the morning of Monday, she added.
Yap said Task Force SONA has steering and working committees which all work together
as one team. She said on the part of the House, most units of the Secretariat are part of the
SONA preparations, involving more than 500 employees from the different departments.
Most of those in the administration offices are involved. The rest are from the security
committee affairs, Inter-Parliamentary Relations Service (IPRS), legislative operations,
engineering, media and communications services, said Yap.
Issues involving traffic and the crowd outside of Congress are matters under the
jurisdiction of the security forces like the police, among others, according to Yap. The House

Secretariat deals with what happens inside Congress. But we also coordinate with the concerned
security forces to ensure traffic advisories are issued early, said Yap.
Yap advised invited guests to come early, bring their pass and invitation, and observe the
proper dress code. Please come early because once the doors are closed, you wont be able to
enter the session hall anymore, you will be escorted to some parts of the building and youll have
to wait until the SONA is over before you can get out of your place, she said.
The three-level galleries at the session hall have a comfortable seating capacity of 1,750
while the plenary floor has a comfortable seating basis of 350 according to her.
The President is expected to arrive at the House at around 4 p.m. Once he arrives, Yap said
he will be escorted to the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) by the Senate President
and the House Speaker, and the two Majority Leaders of both houses of Congress. Then the
Speaker and Senate President will proceed to the plenary hall. The majority leaders will then
escort the President to the main entrance of the session hall. The President is scheduled to deliver
his SONA at 4:30 p.m.
Yap said she expects the SONA to also deal with foreign policy like how to deal about the
West Philippine Sea, the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) implications, the
fate of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), the pitch for Constitutional Convention and shift to
federalism, and climate change contentions.
Meanwhile, for the morning activities, Yap said the session will open at 10 a.m. There will
be a designation for an acting majority floor leader to be followed by a nomination for the
position of Speaker. The election and oath-taking of the new Speaker will be followed his
traditional acceptance speech.
Lawmakers would also pass a resolution informing the President that the House has
convened and organized, and is ready to receive the President and hear the SONA. The morning
session will last until 11:30 a.m. In the afternoon, the doors of the plenary hall will open at 2 p.m.
and will be closed at 3.30 p.m.
Meanwhile, Ms. Edith Cardenas, IPRSB Executive Director, said members of the
Committee on Reception and Protocol, which is composed of the IPRSB staff and officials, are
all set to welcome and assist the guests to be seated at the plenary galleries.
We have already identified the protocol officers who will be assisting the guests as they
arrive, including members of the diplomatic corps. We will also be on standby for the arrival of
the President in Congress, said Cardenas.
For the reception after the SONA, Cardenas said Via Mare restaurant was tapped to serve
a heavy merienda.
Cardenas said the preparation for this years SONA went well. It was quick. Although we
started early this year on the budgeting, the usual preparation was not finalized until management
of the House and Malacaang formally sat down, which took place after the oath taking of the
President, Cardenas said. (30) rbb