Call it President Duterte’s “last hurrah” before he steps down from the Palace on June 30, 2022.
A week before the event, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has been tasked to lead a Cabinet Cluster tasked to outline the gains and the thrusts to be carried out into the post Covid-19 era.
This will be President Duterte’s last State of the Nation Address (Sona) before he steps down to give way for the transition of power in Malacañang.
As the head of the Cabinet Cluster on Climate Change Adaptation, Mitigation, and Disaster Risk Reduction (CCAM-DRR), the DENR will be reporting on the government’s accomplishments in building resilient and sustainable communities and, at the time, of the coronavirus crisis during the pre-Sona forum slated for July 22.
With the theme, “Pamanang Katatagan,” the forum is one of the five pre-Sona forums leading up to the anticipated sixth and final Sona of President Duterte on July 26.
CCAM-DRR Cluster Chairman and Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu will present the updates on the government’s programs on climate risk management, disaster risk reduction, and sustainable development programs for the past five years, while co-chair Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana will present the cluster’s priority thrusts for 2021 and 2022.
The report will likewise cite the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s pursuit of the Risk Resiliency Program, which prioritizes climate-vulnerable provinces such as Sarangani, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Bukidnon, North Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat.
For its part, the Department of Agriculture (DA) will report on the progress of its “OneDA” reform agenda, which aims to modernize the Philippine agricultural and fishery sectors.
Hosted by the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), the “Pamanang Katatagan” forum will be held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City.
It will also be streamed live in compliance with the health and safety protocols by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
“Concrete, measurable and sustainable accomplishments that have been nurtured, build on for the last five years and will steer us even into the post-Covid-19 era will be certainly the hallmarks of this forum,” Cimatu said in a news statement.
The DENR chief added that under the Duterte administration, “the character of governance in addressing environment and sustainable development has changed dramatically.”
“Pamanang Katatagan” is the final installment of the five pre-Sona forums staged under the umbrella theme “Pamanang Pagbabago: The 2021 pre-Sona Forums.”
The Economic Development and Infrastructure Clusters, chaired by the Department of Finance, held its pre-Sona forum last April 26, titled “Sulong Pilipinas 2021: Partners for Progress.”
The Human Development and Poverty Reduction Cluster held its “Pamanang Malasakit” forum at the PICC on July 14; Participatory Governance Cluster (Pamanang Pagkakaisa) on July 16 at the Bai Hotel in Mandaue City, Cebu; and the Security, Justice and Peace Cluster (Pamanang Kaligtasan at Kapayapaan) on July 21 at the Armed Forces of the Philippines Commissioned Officers’ Club at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.
350 allowed to attend Sona
AT least 350 fully vaccinated participants, including lawmakers and former and current government officials are expected to attend the final Sona of President Duterte on July 26, Monday at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City.
House Secretary-General Mark Llandro Mendoza, in an interview, said former presidents, vice presidents, speakers and other important persons are invited on Monday. Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo already confirmed her attendance.
According to Mendoza, strict health protocols and security guidelines will be implemented on Monday at the opening of the third and last regular session in the morning and Sona in the afternoon.
“We carefully choose who may attend the Sona and we and the PSG [Presidential Security Group] require that they should be fully vaccinated,” he said.
Mendoza said mandatory RT-PCR testing will be conducted for those who will enter the plenary hall, while antigen test for those other attendees and staff entering the Batasang Pambansa but assigned outside the plenary hall.
“The IATF [Inter-Agency Task Force] eased the protocols so we will allow 30 percent capacity of the plenary,” he added.
“We will only allow around 60 individuals inside the plenary, while other [attendees] can occupy the first gallery and second gallery of the session hall,” he added.
The opening of the session and the Sona will be available via Zoom for other members of the House.
Also, Presidential Broadcast Staff-Radio Television Malacañang (PBS-RTVM), which will be inside to cover the Sona, will live feed the event through People’s Television Network (PTV), Presidential Communications Operations Office and RTVM Facebook pages and RTVM YouTube channel.
Like previous Sonas, Mendoza said the Batasang Pambansa Complex will be placed on lockdown starting on Friday, July 23 as part of security protocols.
According to Mendoza, another meeting with Malacañang will be conducted on Thursday for the final preparations. With Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz