At a media conference with members of the media Thursday, House Secretary General Reginald Velasco conveyed Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez’s satisfaction with the ongoing preparations and arrangements for the second State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday, July 24, 2023.
SecGen Velasco said the media will be given more leeway to conduct their media coverage during this year’s SONA. He has given instructions for the HRep gates to open as early as 5 AM so that proceedings for the day may be broadcast as early as 6 AM.
He also shared that the media will be allowed to interview House members who arrive early at the Plenary Hall before the formal start of the session at 10AM. According to Secgen Velasco, Speaker Romualdez told him to give the said arrangement a try. If successful, plenary interviews may be conducted on regular session days before the start of each session.
Secgen Velasco hoped that the plenary interviews would serve as an additional incentive for more House members to attend sessions physically. “Everyone should be present physically dito. Yun naman ang goal natin na eventually, we will be back to normal; face-to-face (and) everybody will be coming here,” Velasco said.
For extra or last minute guests during the SONA, Secgen Velasco told Speaker Romualdez that a big function room has been reserved for senior citizens, persons with disabilities and last minute guests.