Duterte ‘clearly’ laid out measures to combat COVID-19 in 5th SONA, says Go

Senator Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go on Tuesday disputed the criticism that President Rodrigo Duterte's fifth State of the Nation Address lacked a clear game plan with concrete strategies to fight COVID-19 and its adverse economic impacts.

"The President was able to clearly lay down measures in his speech that will strengthen the fight against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, address the immediate needs of the people to overcome the hardships, and sustain the gains of the administration in fulfilling its promise of a comfortable life for all," Go, chair of the Senate committee on health and Duterte's staunch ally, said in a statement.

"The speech emphasized how important it is for Filipinos to stay united in the spirit of ‘bayanihan’ and ‘malasakit sa kapwa tao’ in order for us to achieve our goals and lead our country towards a ‘better normal’ and better quality of life despite the challenges that we are currently facing," he added.

This was contrary to the view of Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto and minority senators who pointed out that the SONA lacked inspiration and concrete plans for those bearing the brunt of the health and economic effects of the contagion.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III, on the other hand, said though he had wanted to hear more, he was not disappointed and he understands why the President chose not to go into too much detail on the COVID-19 plans.

"It dawned on me that what I was expecting will be given by the IATF and the DOH in a separate venue or probably a hearing or a report which they usually do on a daily basis," Sotto said.

"Perhaps the length of the SONA or he thought that the IATF would be giving it out anyway so he concentrated on the other highlights of the state of the nation address which he listed 20 points or so," he added.

Sotto pointed out that the priority bills for the revival of the economy amid the pandemic, like the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act and Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives Enterprises or CREATE Act, had been mentioned by the President.

Senator Imee Marcos, another pro-administration lawmaker, said
those who criticize Duterte's SONA for supposedly lacking a clear COVID-19 masterplan were "deaf and dumb."

"Many decry the lack of an elaborate and all-encompassing economic plan in the President’s SONA. If you were looking for tedious micro-economics, then you damn well missed it. The specific bills he urged Congress to pass form parts of the roadmap that we have already been working on even during the lockdown," she said in a statement.

"It is our job, both the economic managers and the legislature, to hammer together the details of effective social protection, genuine healthcare modernization and quick and universal economic recovery," she added.

She further pointed out that the government also has to deal with other viruses aside from COVID-19—corruption, syndicates, and oligarchy.

Meanwhile, Senator Richard Gordon said he longed for "more specificity."

"Hindi ako masyadong happy, because the master plan was not clear, it has to clarified, anong role ng mga tao," he said in a virtual interview.

He also said the President should not have used the SONA to air his personal grievances against Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon.

"I think he should've stuck to the message, una pa lang bungad eh binanatan na niya si Senator Drilon which I think was unpresidential," he said.

"When the President mentions something like this in a SONA baka akala noong iba nasa sauna bath siya na puwede siya magsalita ng ganun, hindi SONA 'yun," he added. — BM, GMA News