Incoming House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez guaranteed that President Rodrigo Duterte’s first State of the Nation Address (SONA) would still be “simple” even with a Cannes Film Festival best director winner at the helm.
Davao del Norte 1st district Rep. Alvarez, in a TV interview, stressed that “observing simplicity” was still Duterte’s top instruction as far as his July 25 speech at the House of Representatives (HOR) is concerned.
“Wala naman [instructions]. Except sa gagawing simple lang ’yung dadating na SONA,” said Alvarez, who sits as secretary-general of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban).
However, some have questioned the administration’s peg toward a simple event after it designated Brillante Mendoza as SONA director.
Mendoza, a University of Sto. Tomas (UST) College of Architecture and Fine Arts graduate, shot to fame after winning the best director award for his film “Kinatay” which was shown during the 2009 Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France.
But Alvarez said having someone of Mendoza’s caliber on board doesn’t mean that the SONA would be turned into a pomp affair.
“Wala naman kinalaman ’yun sa pagkaka-simple ng dadating na SONA, dahil kahit sino naman ang gagawing pamumuno o kaya magdi-direk ng SONA as long as specific ’yung instruction sa simple lang ang gagawing SONA,” the presumptive Speaker said.
Moreover, Alvarez said that he was directing the event pro bono. (ELLSON QUISMORIO)