Congress to ban bottled water during SONA

For fear that terrorists might use a liquid bomb, bottled water will no longer be allowed when President Arroyo delivers her State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 24, an official of the House of Representatives disclosed yesterday.

"We will not allow the entry of bottled water in the plenary hall during the SONA. Based on research and the advent of technology, there is a possibility that terrorists might use liquid bomb," House Deputy Secretary General Artemio Adasa warned.

Adasa, who heads Task Force SONA after House secretary general Roberto Nazareno went on leave, also revealed they are considering a change of venue for the annual presidential address to ensure Mrs. Arroyo’s safety.

The SONA is traditionally delivered before a joint session Congress at the Batasan complex in Quezon City.

Adasa’s suggestion, however, was met with objections from both sides of the political fence.

"Let us not change the venue of the SONA. It’s just a security problem that the government can handle. It’s part of the hazards of the trade in a presidency," House Majority Leader Prospero Nograles said.

House Minority Leader Francis Escudero told reporters in a briefing that Adasa was "overacting" over such threat.

"If they are really afraid, then GMA (the President’s initials) can deliver her SONA through a CD, but it should not be pirated. At least, we’re sure it’s not fake," Escudero, secretary general of the United Opposition, said.

Escudero pointed out that there has never been a time when the President did not deliver her SONA before a joint session of Congress.

"This is the first time I heard of this," he said.

Adasa begged for patience in advance from the 234 members of the House of Representatives who will be forced to undergo strict security measures they will impose on July 24, following intelligence reports that bombs may be concealed in their vehicles.

"To the congressmen, please bear with our tight security for the convenience and safety of everybody. This is because we have received reports that their vehicles bearing the‘8’ plate number will no longer be checked," he revealed.

Tight security is expected when the President reports to the nation her administration’s accomplishments on July 24 after military and police operatives confiscated bombs and high-powered firearms from rebel soldiers arrested near the Batasan complex last Friday.

‘Thorough probe’

The House leadership, through Nograles, said a thorough investigation is needed in order to trace who was the source of the Batasan blueprint seized from the six junior officers who belonged to the Magdalo group, which was responsible for the 2003 Oakwood mutiny.

"We have to find out who provided them with this blueprint because documents like this can’t just be found in the public library," Nograles said, as he vowed to make the culprits criminally liable for the leak.

"We should find out who provided them this blueprint and why it fell to the hands of the rebel soldiers," the Davao City congressman added, without necessarily blaming the Department of Public Works and Highways, where such documents can be found.

Although he didn’t rule out possible liability of DPWH personnel citing copies of the blueprint were obtained by House security officials and Americans when US President George W. Bush visited the country two years ago.

"I think our House security showed our House floor plan to Americans when they secured President Bush who spoke in our joint session two years ago," Nograles said.

"I think even the architects who built the House (of Representatives), the House security and probably even the American security obtained copies (of the Batasan blueprint) sometime, somewhere, somehow," he explained.

Lanao del Sur Rep. Benasing Macarambon, vice chairman of the House national defense committee, said the recaptured soldiers should face the House probe "to explain how the blueprint fell into their hands."

"No one can tell how exactly the blueprint landed on their hands except the rebel soldiers themselves. They have to testify under oath. Its release was unauthorized and it was clearly intended to help them in mounting their attack on SONA day," he said.

The DPWH welcomed an investigation, but said officials have been expecting their names to be dragged into the issue.

"I think that is also the question of everyone. How were these Magdalo soldiers able to get a copy of the blueprint that is kept in our office? For now, we don’t know the source," said assistant director Gilberto Reyes, deputy chief of the DPWH Bureau of Design.

He added the blueprint could only be attained by another government agency through an official request approved by the DPWH. — With Edu Punay