The First State of the Nation Address of President Benigno Aquino (P-Noy)

Today, 27 July 2010 marks another important day in Philippine history.  Today at 4pm (Philippine time), our 15th President, Benigno Aquino III will deliver his first SONA.  The whole world is watching, keen to hear the present state of the country and more importantly to know the actions the Aquino administration will be taking.  I personally am eager to know what to expect in the next 6 years.

I am not in the Philippines, and as much as I want to be a witness to this important event - I can't.  I will have to be content with seeing what's written in print and shown on television. 

But one thing is certain, today we will hear strong words from a sincere and honest man.  A man of action who will be the instrument to help alleviate the Philippines from its present state. The leader who works for the service of the country.  But one man cannot do this alone.  He needs the support of the people, he needs our help.  Let us give this to him, do our share and help build a new Philippines.

 Good luck to you Mr. President, God bless you.  God bless the Philippines. 

Philippine president's first state of the nation address seen to be peaceful

The Philippine Armed Forces (AFP) is expecting a peaceful Monday when Philippine President Benigno Aquino III delivers his first state of the nation address (SONA) on July 26 at the Batasan complex in the country's capital.



The military is expecting only few people to hold rallies since Aquino, who assumed office last June 30, enjoys a high trust rating based on surveys, AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Jose Mabata told reporters on Wednesday.


"The president is at this point has a very high approval rating, trust rating. As such, we believe that that there will be minimal disturbances during the SONA. But be that as it may, we are always ready for any eventuality," Mabanta said.


Nonetheless, the AFP and the Philippine National Police are coordinating to ensure the security of the SONA which are usually met with protests by progressive groups, he said.


The military's National Capital Region Command is also always alerted for such occasion, he added.


To date, Mabata assured that they have not yet received any " real" threats of possible disturbance.

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Aquino’s first SONA will be ‘memorable’ — PalaceJAM SISANTE, GMANews.TV
 
President Benigno “Noynoy" Aquino III’s first State of the Nation Address (SONA), to be delivered Monday afternoon, will be “memorable," Malacañang assured on Sunday.



"It will be memorable. It will be a realistic speech," presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in an interview with state-run Radyo ng Bayan.


Lacierda pointed out that Aquino would not only dwell on the problems left behind by the Arroyo administration, but also offer ways to solve such snags


"It will spell out the realities that Aquino has inherited from the Arroyo administration, then move on to his solutions, move on to the budget, and move on to other things which he believes would wipe out production and alleviate poverty. And a call to support his government," he said.


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State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA)

For weeks now, the State Of the Nation Address (or SONA for short) of President Aquino has been on every news channel in the Philippines.  Everybody seems to be so curious of what P-Noy has to say and how he will be delivering his speech.  Is he going to have somekind of 'gimik' as that of GMA?  I don't think so.  But like most Filipinos, I am curious to hear his first ever SONA. 


But what is the SONA, and why is it so important?  Is it really relevant?

From wikipedia...

The State of the Nation Address (Filipino: Talumpati sa Kalagayan ng Bayan, abbreviated SONA) is an annual event in the Republic of the Philippines, in which the President of the Philippines reports on the status of the nation, normally to the resumption of a joint session of the Congress (the House of Representatives and the Senate). This is a duty of the President as stated in Article VII, Section 23 of the 1987 Constitution.

So this is what it is, the President's report to the Congress.  I wonder what P-Noy is going to be reporting?

I am not a fan of politics.  Actually this is the first time that I am actually looking forward to hear a SONA. 

Tomorrow, 26 July 2010 (Monday) at 4 pm - Phillipine time, the whole world will know.