Duterte’s SONA lacked ‘quotable quotes,’ says Roque

President Rodrigo Duterte’s fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) deserves a rating of nine out of 10, his spokesperson Harry Roque said Tuesday.

Roque said the President was not expected to give specific details on his policy directions and achievements since these were already explained by his Cabinet secretaries through the pre-SONA forums.

Still, the Palace official admitted that the SONA, which was marked by off-script remarks, was quite long.

This year’s SONA lasted nearly two hours.

“Sa akin naman po, siguro iyong sa pagsulat ng speech, number one, mahaba, one hour and 40 [minutes] eh mayroon na pong pre-SONA,” Roque said.

Roque also said Duterte’s speech lacked “quotable quotes.”

“Kung ako ang nagsulat diyan, mas marami akong ilalagay na quotable quotes sa simula at ending ng speech. Pasensiya na po kayo, pero noong estudyante kasi ako nagtrabaho rin ako as speechwriter,” he said.

Duterte’s speech covered the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, list of proposed laws and tirades against Senator Franklin Drilon, ABS-CBN and telecommunications companies. — Virgil Lopez/RSJ, GMA News