The House of Representatives is all set for the two big events on Monday – the fourth State of the Nation Address of President Rodrigo Duterte (SONA) and the Opening of the First Regular Session of the 18th Congress.
As early as February 20, 2019, former President and Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, through Memorandum No. 17-200, created a Task Force to assist in the preparation for the Opening of the First Regular Session of the 18th Congress and the Joint Session of Congress to hear the SONA of President Duterte.
Then Speaker Arroyo named House Acting Secretary-General Dante Roberto Maling as Chairperson of the Steering Committee of Task Force SONA 2019 and the chairpersons of the various Working Committees.
Maling said the House is fully ready for its hosting job for SONA 2019, after spending months preparing and implementing all the necessary details to ensure a safe, orderly and peaceful SONA this year.
“The House is fully ready for SONA 2019. We have ensured that all details for the Opening of the First Regular Session of the 18th Congress in the morning and the President’s SONA in the afternoon have been considered and well taken care of for the safe, peaceful and orderly holding of these big events. These include the necessary internal and external security measures and requirements, protocol arrangements, parking restrictions, media coverage, other physical arrangements, prescribed and required attire, and final reminders to guests particularly with regard to their invitations, seat cards and car passes, among others” said Maling.
In his latest Advisory, Maling laid down the guidelines to ensure the safe and orderly conduct of Monday’s events.
For the entry and exit from the House Complex, the “No Car Pass, No Entry” policy shall be in effect from 4am on SONA Day. The Main/South Gate is for the exclusive entrance of vehicles of House Members, Senators, Congressional Spouses and their back-up, VIP guests, and House and Senate Secretariat officials.
The North Gate shall serve as the entrance gate of vehicles of invited guests, OB vans and generator sets, emergency vehicles (i.e. fire trucks, ambulances and military vehicles), House shuttle buses and vehicles with “Drop-Off” passes.
Only accredited members of media institutions wearing the official SONA 2019 Media IDs, together with their agency IDs, will be allowed entry to the House Complex.
The Main Gate, North Gate or Gate 2, which is beside the President Corazon C. Aquino Elementary Schools, will be closed at 4pm. These will be used as exit gates of vehicles after the SONA.
Motorcycles, taxicabs and Transport Network Vehicle Services (TNVS) are barred from entry to the House Complex.
All parking spaces within the House Complex will be strictly for vehicles bearing color-coded car passes on a “First Come, First Serve” basis based on the parking plan.
Secretariat employees and congressional staff who wish to bring their vehicles may avail of the parking spaces at the Civil Service Commission and the Batasan National High School.
The following guidelines apply for access to House buildings: 1) the “No SONA 2019 ID, No Entry” policy will be enforced; 2) upon entry, everyone is required to undergo body search; 3) all personal belongings need to pass through the X-ray machine; 4) authorized personnel reporting for work on SONA Day are required to wear their color-coded SONA 2019 IDs at all times; 5) firearms are not allowed within the premises except those of authorized security personnel; 5) the Main building entrances will be closed at 1pm and will be opened after the SONA for the exit of guests.
In the morning of SONA Day, countersigns (special stickers) will be issued to the following for access to restricted areas: House officials, employees, congressional staff, usherettes assigned at restricted areas, and close- in photographers of the President, Senate President and House Speaker.
Live coverage, interviews and photo shoots by media personnel are allowed at the North and South Wing lobbies up to 3pm only.
For the Joint Session of Congress in the afternoon, the Advisory highlights that there will be a one-kilometer “No Fly Zone” over the area of the House Complex from 1pm to 6pm.
At 1pm, the South Wing Lobby will be closed to all Secretariat employees, Congressional staff and visitors, Only Protocol Officers, in-House media personnel, authorized media and security personnel deployed at the lobby will be allowed to stay to welcome guests.
Arriving House Members, Senators, Congressional Spouses, VIPs and members of the Diplomatic Corps shall enter through the South Wing lobby or the North Wing lobby. All other guests, media personnel and visitors shall pass through the North Wing lobby.
Entry to the Plenary Hall will be strictly prohibited from 12 noon to 1pm for final security inspection and clearing, except for RTVM personnel who will install the teleprompters and florists who will do the flower arrangements after the end of the Opening of the First Regular Session.
The Plenary Hall will be opened to guests/visitors of the Joint Session at 2pm. The sliding doors at the Main Entrance of the Plenary Hall will be closed 15 minutes before the President and his party enter the session hall.
Entrance doors at all three galleries will be closed at 3:30 pm. Everyone in the Plenary Hall must be seated at 3:30 pm.
Senators, House Members, and guests arriving after the President has begun his SONA will be escorted to the North Lounge where they shall be attended to.
The “No Invitation/No Seat Pass/No Entry” policy shall be enforced. Reserved seating shall be strictly observed at the Middle, first and second galleries of the Plenary Hall. “Free Seating” is allowed only at the third gallery of the Plenary Hall.
Cellphones, radio transceivers and other similar gadgets must be turned off while inside the Plenary Hall.
Meanwhile, the “No Cocktail Pass, No Entry” policy will be strictly enforced at the South Wing lobby where the cocktail reception will be held.
The Working Committees of Task Force SONA 2019 are the following: Committee on Program Scenario and Plenary Support chaired by Deputy Secretary-General for Operations Atty. David Robert Amorin; Committee on Nation’s Prayer chaired by Deputy Secretary-General for Committee Affairs Atty. Arlene Dada-Arnaldo; Committee on Invitations, Reception and Protocol chaired by Executive Director Edith Cardenas of the Inter-Parliamentary Relations and Special Affairs Bureau; Committee on Media chaired by Executive Director Ma. Bernadette dela Cuesta of the Press and Public Affairs Bureau; Committee on Presidential Honors and Security chaired by Sergeant-at-Arms MGen. Romeo Prestoza, AFP (Ret.); Committee on Administrative Concerns chaired by Deputy Secretary-General for Administration Dr. Ramon Ricardo Roque; Committee on Finance chaired by Acting Secretary General Dante Roberto Maling; Committee on Physical Arrangements chaired by Deputy Secretary General for Engineering and Physical Facilities Engr. Floro Banaybanay; Executive Director Thelma Marie Inton of the Knowledge Management Systems Bureau as the Task Force Secretary; and Executive Director of the Legislative Security Bureau Lt. Col. Isabelito Flores as head of the Joint Coordinating Center. / Rowena B. Bundang, News and Documentation Section/ House of Representatives of the Philippines
http://www.congress.gov.ph/press/details.php?pressid=11619
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