No leakage of PNoy's draft SONA this year — Palace

Journalists and other interested parties who want an advanced copy of President Benigno Aquino III’s second State of the Nation Address (SONA) will have to wait. This was after Malacañang on Thursday vowed to implement stricter measures to prevent the premature release of a copy of the speech, which President Aquino will deliver on Monday afternoon. “We’ve discussed several measures on how to avoid a leakage. It’s now being finalized to make sure that what we’ll be doing will not be prematurely leaked to anyone," presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said at a press briefing. In 2010, a draft of President Aquino’s speech was leaked to a television network, which posted it on its Facebook account. President Aquino had the leak investigated, but no one was found liable. “Wala hong napatunayan saan nanggaling iyong leakage. Ang sinabi na lang ni Pangulong Aquino, mag-ingat na lang tayo next time," Lacierda said. He said copies of last year’s SONA were given to government officials, so it was difficult to trace who leaked the speech. Lacierda did not elaborate on the measures that would be taken to prevent a leakage this year, but assured the public that no similar incident will happen again. “I can assure you that this time around, there will be no premature leaks of the SONA speech," he said. — Amita O. Legaspi/KBK, GMA News