Palace exec: Aquino SONA draft now 30+ pages long

The latest draft of President Benigno Aquino III’s third State of the Nation Address (SONA) has so far reached “30-plus” pages – which a Palace aide on Sunday described as “lengthy.” But deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte also said more changes are expected in the SONA as Aquino and his speechwriters continue to refine it until he delivers it on July 23. “Medyo mahaba (It’s rather lengthy)... let’s leave it at 30-plus pages,” Valte said on government-run dzRB radio, when asked how long the SONA draft is so far. She did not say how long in terms of minutes a 30-plus page SONA would take to deliver. Aquino’s SONA in 2011 lasted 53 minutes, while his first SONA in 2010 lasted about 36 minutes. Earlier, Valte said Aquino is likely to use visual aids such as a slideshow presentation in his upcoming SONA before a joint session of Congress at the Batasan in Quezon City. On the other hand, Valte said Filipinos may expect many changes in the way Aquino does his SONA, saying the draft is a “constant evolution.” “Pag meron siyang nakikita in his daily work he feels that should be included, constantly nagste-change ang form ng draft. Tatawagin niya ang speechwriters, he will give them his thoughts. It’s a matter of taking down what he is saying and reordering," she said. She said Aquno’s speech-writing team is working with him on what he wants the final SONA draft to be. Valte would not say if Aquino’s SONA this year will be in English or Filipino. “I don’t want to say yet, not yet, marami pa itong pagbabago. Mahirap munang sabihin (I don’t want to say yet. There are many changes expected. It’s hard to say at this time),” she said. “(Aquino) picks the language depending on the audience and depending on what he wants to say,” she added. — LBG, GMA News