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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Recto on SONA: More on facts than sound bytes

Recto on SONA: More on facts than sound bytes

Published Jul 25, 2023 07:34 am
House Deputy Speaker and Batangas 6th district Rep. Ralph Recto (left), President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.




President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. favored facts over "oratorical flair" in his second State of the Nation Address (SONA). House Deputy Speaker and Batangas 6th district Rep. Ralph Recto gave this assessment of Marcos' annual speech, which the latter carried out Monday, July 24 during a joint session of Congress at the House of Representatives. "Overall, it was a good accounting of the state of the nation," Recto said in statement. "For those expecting SONA as theatre, what he delivered instead was a teach-in. He traded oratorical flair for as many facts as he can squeeze in such a short time," the House leader said. Marcos' speech was around 70 minutes long--quite average in the long history of SONAs. "He was not fishing for applauses, choosing fewer sound bytes so he could mention more sound programs. It was a speech designed not to get us excited, like the ones that will make us jump to our feet, but to get us thinking for a long time on the hard work ahead," Recto further said. He said that the Chief Executive "dropped a big payload of plans, and to Congress, a huge consignment of bills to be passed, some of which could be unpopular".

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Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr. ralph recto #SONA 2023
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