THE PHILI,PPINE STAR

. THE PHILIPPINE STAR N

wEpNEspAY I JULY17 2ore, , Eelirs_j

r$hErt' 4ft8? Sffiru& tP qdueate eritics
yestcrday. Panelo oaid at a preqs brief- Panelo was refcrring to
PI.A$11: foMELo .
Prcsidcnlial spolcesman ttt4)ordinurilu, the three nre-SONA forums
. President Dulerte is ex- Salvaclol Panelo"said there the Presi- ori thu gduernment's infra'
eected to deliver a short is no need fpr Duterte to derlt will be discussing the structur:e, human develoP-
btate of the Nation Address reuL.at the acconrplishments achievements of his admin- ment and security Proglams,
(9ONA) or-r July 22 au agcn- eilumerated by liis of{icials istlation on a particulalyear, Asked hr:w long the
cies have already reported during pre-SONA forums. and since the pre-SONAs are fourth SONA would last,
some of the Eains of lris "I asked him about the aiready doing that, I don't Panelo said in jest,.'1UsuallY,
administratiori to the pub- SONA this morning. He think he will have to rePeat if it's shori, it lasts for two
lic, Malacafi ang annouhced said, 'Oh, it will be short,"' that " ?anelo noted, Turn to Page 6

t sediiion between a Chinese vessel and

Shortt
hours."
The Presidenfs first address
in 2016 lasted for about an hour
and a half. His second lasGd
for more than two hours, his
longest so far. After delivering
the two-hour add:€ss, which
contained a lot of ad libs- Du-
terte detvered another speech
. before protesters outside the
Batasan complex and held a
prcss conJerence.
Duterte's SONA last vear
was the shorEst so far, laiting
about 48 minutes. Unlike his
previous addresses, which con-
tained spontaneous remarks,
the President decided to stick
to sqipt
Known for lengthy and
freewheeling speeihes, Du-
terte previously said he would
"educate" his critics who oues-
tion his handling of the Sbuth
China Sea row during his
fourth SONA.
Presideniial Communica-
tions Secretary Martin Anda-
nar has exoressed confidence
that the priority bills to be
discussed by Duterte would
have greater chances of being
FromPasel
passed now that the two legis-
lative chambers are dominated
by administration allies.
Duterte is sbt to hold a rc-
hearsal on Friday for his fourth
SONA.
Sereno: Join SONA
, protests
Former chief justice Maria
Lourdes Sereno vesterd av
urged the public to ilnn protesi
actions durhg the SONA.
Sereno emphasized the
need to call for an end to the
"injustices" the cormtry is ex-
periencing under the Duterte
administration.
"This year's SONA is an
important occasionto voice our
issues and concerns. And more
tJran that, it is an opporhrnity to
redaim our God-given power
as the sovereigr people," she
said in a press conference
with leaders of cause-oriented
groups ir
Quezon Cig.
Panelo said he sees nothing
wrong with Sereno's call for
Filipinos to toin proiests dudng
the Presiden(s SONA' adding
it does not border on p6ssible
He said Sereno can exoress
her sentiments againsi the
govemment.
"In fact, I am willirie to ioin
her if her cause is focrlsei on
the preservation of democ-
racv" Ijbnelo told reoorters.
'But if she loins ih" oiti.s
and detractorc of the adminis-
tration, I think the opposition
will welmme her whilelwe will
be amused watching her," he
added.
Panelo said the President
respects and encourages peo-
pJe, even his critics, to express
their grievances against the
govemment.
Sereno, who was ousted as
chief magistrate under Duierte,
said she wouldioin demonstra-
tions during Duterte's SONA.
"I will join those who fight
Ior democracy. Maaaring hindi
ako dati nakikita ngunit hindi ibig
sabihin hindi aka magpapakita
(I may not have been visible
before but that doesnlt mean I
wonlt be seen)," she said.
Sercno appealed for unity to
demand a better and more up-
right leadership in ihe country.
She also c}ided l)crterte for
his handling of the'collision
a Filipino fishing boat at Recto
Bank.
"Saan ka nakfrkita na muntik
ka namamatay ikaw pa angstna-
sabing may kasalanan, " she sdid,
referring to the F ipino fisher-
men who were being blamed
for the incident.
She lambasted Duterte for hi s
war on drugs where thousands
have been killed since luly 2016.
Sereno said Duterte's poli-
cies would leave a damaged
cor.rntry when he steps do-wn
from office in 2022.
Members of cause-orient-
ed groups vowed to paint
the stretch of Comrnon-
wealth Avenue in Quezon
City blue during Duterte's
address to the nation.
The blue colol according to
Bagong Alyasang Makabay-
an secretary general Renato
plotest
Reyes, sl.rnbolizes thejr
of the Presidenfs soft stand
agairut China's aggression in
the West Philiooine Sea.
"The issuJtlis year is the
count(y.'s sovereign rights,
which are being trampled
by China," he said. - With
Edith Regalado, Christina
Mendez, Emmanuel Thpas

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