Bishop to PNoy: Don't use SONA to attack Arroyo

A Catholic bishop urged President Benigno Aquino III not to use his State of the Nation Address (SONA) to attack his predecessor Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. However, Malacañang chided Capiz Archbishop Onesimo Gordoncillo for making the call, saying he needs to listen to the SONA first before making any judgment. “We are again reminding the good bishop… ang SONA sa Lunes pa. Hindi pa natin naririnig ang magiging laman. Let’s hold off any judgment," deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said over state-run dzRB radio. In an interview on Catholic Church-run Radyo Veritas, Gordoncillo said the President should use his SONA as an opportunity to show his “positive programs" and long-term solutions to the country’s pressing problems. Gordoncillo said what the country needs today is the government’s concrete steps in solving poverty and unemployment. “Let’s not center on the negative. Let’s do something positive. This is what we are expecting [in] his SONA," he added. — JE, GMA News