SONA 2020 simpler but complicated technically —Joyce Bernal

Filmmaker Joyce Bernal on Thursday admitted that although President Rodrigo Duterte's State of the Nation Address (SONA) will be simpler this year, it will also be complicated on the technical side due to the many changes implemented to ensure the health and safety of the attendees.

Bernal has been tapped to direct the President's SONA for the third time in a row, after taking the helm in 2018 and 2019.

She paid a visit to the Batasang Pambansa complex on Thursday ahead of the event on Monday.

LOOK: Filmmaker Joyce Bernal, who is set to direct President Duterte’s SONA for the third time, is at the House of Representative to do some inspection.(Contributed photos) @gmanews pic.twitter.com/6wrglta6np

— Erwin Colcol (@erwincolcol) July 23, 2020

"Parang sumimple siya pero naging complicated siya technically because hindi ko alam kung nalimit yung mga tao dito sa loob pero merong mga remote areas na kailangan kong kunan," Bernal said when asked in an ambush interview about her preparations for the SONA.

"Yung Zoom videoconference mayroon akong IT na gagawa nun kasi hindi ako marunong sa ganyan. Yun lang siguro. Pero pag-aaralan ko na yun on the day itself na kasi bukas lockdown na ito e," she added.

According to Bernal, since many of the usual parts of the program will no longer be done live, she had already pre-recorded them to be played on the SONA itself.

"Nagpre-record na kami ng iba so everything is pre-recorded except for the speech ng President kasi para bawas tao. So dati may choir—bawas tao—tapos pati yung mga magp-pray, bawas tao, so pre-recorded,"she said.

Although the SONA this year is "very technical" to direct, Bernal said she was given more time to prepare for the shots she intends to take during the event itself.

"Mas may time ako na malaman kahit papaano, although very technical pero mas may time ngayon na mabigyan ko ng magandang opening, magandang visual," she said.

"Sana makapag-prepare kami, maayos namin yang mga visual na hopefully masasama sa speech ng President. May mga materials kami but hindi namin alam yung speech ng President," she added.

Bernal even said that this year's SONA would have a "very Pinoy" taste.

"Para sa mga tao naman [ito] so ibang flavor naman. Pinoy na Pinoy. Mas maiintindihan, mas magaan," she said.

Bernal is known for directing blockbuster Filipino comedy films, most of them were screened at the annual Metro Manila Film Festival.

The Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) earlier announced that members of the media will not be allowed inside the Batasang Pambansa complex during Duterte's SONA as per the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Only the Presidential Broadcast Staff-Radio Television Malacañang (RTVM) will be allowed inside the House to cover the SONA, the PCOO said.

All broadcast-related requirements will be coursed through the RTVM, it added.

RTVM said that unlike the President's weekly televised addresses, his SONA on Monday will be aired live and unedited. — BM, GMA News