Twitter is collaborating with the Duterte administration to connect the new President with Filipino citizens worldwide, starting first with the #PresidentDuterte emoji and #PartnerForChange campaign and expanding now to his first-ever State of the Nation Address (SONA) on 25 July 2016. For the first time ever in Southeast Asia, live video highlights of a head of state’s address to the nation will be shared on Twitter for a global audience. Filipino citizens worldwide, and anyone interested in President Duterte’s plans for the Philippines, can follow the @PresidentialCom account to see high-quality video clips of #SONA2016 in their Twitter timeline, powered by SnappyTV technology. In addition, Filipinos can comment, share and discuss the much-awaited speech using the event’s official hashtags #DuterteSONA and #PartnerForChange on Twitter.
“The keys to an effective democracy are real-time political updates and live engagement with the government. This initiative with Twitter is a landmark development for the Duterte administration’s digital governance efforts,” said Pratiksha Rao, Head of Media Partnerships, Twitter Southeast Asia. “By providing a platform for live commentary, connections and conversations for the President’s State of the Nation Address, Twitter is enabling the Duterte administration to connect with Filipinos via social media and help initiate change for the country.”
Since the campaign through the election, inauguration and beyond, Twitter has been one of the primary platforms where Filipinos discuss and get updates from the current administration:
Meanwhile, the administration officials are preparing hard to secure the safety of every individual who will attend the first #DuterteSONA and to make sure that the event would run as smoothly as possible.