No more counter-SONA from Senate minority

MANILA, Philippines - The minority bloc in the Senate has decided to do away with the traditional counter–SONA or answer to President Aquino’s State of the Nation Address last month.

Senate Deputy Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III yesterday said it would make no sense for them to come out with a counter–SONA since it would just be like making a commentary about the accomplishments of the administration, including the members of the majority bloc of the Senate during the previous Congress of which they were part.

“We were in the majority the whole year. What he (President Aquino) was reporting in his SONA all took place while we were in the majority, so what are we supposed to say,” Sotto said.

“We could not possibly counter anything about the SONA,” he said.

Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile served as Senate president for three years, Sotto was the majority leader, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada was Senate president pro-tempore and Sen. Gregorio Honasan II was deputy majority leader during the 15th Congress.

Sotto said the delivery of the “Kontra-SONA” is best left to members of the opposition party, who are expected to be critical of the administration.

“If we were the regular minority then I guess we can do it. But we were part of the majority, so what is our moral ascendancy to kontra? We were not the opposition,” he said.

At the House of Representatives, Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora delivered the Kontra-SONA last Monday.