Cayetano postpones counter SONA

MANILA, July 30 (PNA) – Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano has decided to postpone his counter state of the nation address (SONA) until Monday to give himself more time to prepare his speech.

”I decided to postpone my SONA to give myself more time to prepare and research,” Cayetano said.

Cayetano was supposed to deliver his counter SONA on Wednesday, three days after President Benigno Aquino III gave his first SONA as the country’s 15th President in the first automated elections last May 10.

”There were some people who asked me why the issues of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), youth, advocates against illegal drugs and illegal gambling. They want us to take that opportunity to include these issues,” Cayetano said.

”Although we won’t judge the President why he did not include this and that because everything cannot be included in SONA, it does not give us excuse that we will not include that in our counter SONA,” he added.

Cayetano clarified that his SONA would not actually contradict what President Aquino has mentioned “but it would more of like a memo to the President.”

”Let’s give them a little room to clean the house but let’s not give them any room that will repeat the same mistake of the past administration of (former President Gloria) Arroyo and so far that’s what we are guarding at,” the new minority leader explained.

While leading the minority bloc in the Senate, Cayetano assured that their group would also be there to support President Aquino in fulfilling what the President has promised in his SONA.

”We all know what the President’s objective and that is to lead our country to the new direction of change and we will support the President for that purpose,” Cayetano clarified.

Cayetano believed that aside from the Metropolitan and Water Sewerage System (MWSS) there other government agencies and government-owned-and-controlled corporations which are spending too much for the bonuses and benefits of their top officials. (PNA)
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