MINDANAO TRIUMVIRATE President Duterte delivers his first State of the Nation Address. Mr. Duterte, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III (top left) and Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez鈥攖he country鈥檚 top three elected officials鈥攁re all from Mindanao, a first in the country鈥檚 history. JOAN BONDOC
IT WAS a good start, but there could be room for some improvement.
Senators had different takes on the issues President Duterte tackled in his debut State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday, complimenting him for a message that spoke to the masses while hoping for clarification on various points about his legislative agenda.
For starters, Senators Franklin Drilon and Leila de Lima, both former justice secretaries, cited how Mr. Duterte began his over one-and-a-half hour speech by pointing out problems in the justice system.
鈥淗e opened his speech with a recognition of the need to fix our justice system. And it was comprehensive. He outlined how he would like the future to be for our country,鈥� Drilon told reporters after the Sona.
鈥淚 was delighted to hear that the first item he mentioned was the justice system. He wants it to work. He pointed out chronic delays in the justice system,鈥� said De Lima, a staunch Duterte critic who is now with the Senate majority supporting the President鈥檚 legislative agenda.
She and fellow Liberal Party member and neophyte Sen. Risa Hontiveros lauded Duterte鈥檚 clear statement on the recent United Nations arbitral tribunal ruling on the South China Sea, which favored the Philippines鈥� bid to invalidate China鈥檚 nine-dash line claim over the disputed waters.
Hontiveros said 鈥渢he ruling must be used by the government to mobilize allies and international public opinion to assert the country鈥檚 sovereignty and in advancing genuine peace and stability in the region.鈥�
That Mr. Duterte鈥檚 reference to the ruling was brief was not a problem for Sen. Richard Gordon, who added the President should not give away too much about the government鈥檚 plans.
Other lawmakers found Mr. Duterte鈥檚 speech wanting on some points.
Neophyte Sen. Joel Villanueva is looking forward to a 鈥減eople-centered government鈥� after hearing the President鈥檚 legislative agenda that focuses on the public welfare.
He and Gordon agreed that Mr. Duterte could have spoken more about the education sector.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson hoped Mr. Duterte had spoken about a more concrete roadmap for his term.
Sen. Nancy Binay in a statement called the President鈥檚 speech a 鈥渨elcome break from the usual rhetoric and common presentation of statistics and endless finger-pointing.鈥�
For neophyte Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, Duterte鈥檚 speech was the 鈥渕ost聽 heartfelt Sona ever delivered.鈥�
Sen. Bam Aquino聽 described Duterte鈥檚 Sona as 鈥渧ery refreshing and sincere.鈥� With a report from Maila Ager, Inquirer.net