House bans SONA red carpet spectacle due to recent storms

Metro Manila, Philippines - The House of Representatives has officially banned the red carpet fanfare traditionally held during the State of the Nation Address, heeding calls for a simpler ceremony in light of recent devastating storms.

“The red carpet will be in place strictly for ingress and official protocol,” House Secretary General Reginald Velasco said in a memorandum dated Thursday, July 25, and shared with the media on Friday.

“There will be no staged ceremonies, fashion coverage, or photo setups in the red carpet area,” he ordered.

Lawmakers are still expected to wear formal attire, preferably the traditional Barong Tagalog or Filipiniana, but are urged to avoid extravagance.

“Members are respectfully urged to avoid ostentatious displays and exercise discretion in their wardrobe choices,” the memo read.

“These adjustments reflect our solidarity with affected communities and our commitment to uphold the dignity of this national gathering,” it also stated.

Media interviews will be limited to “brief, impromptu” interaction.

This comes after calls from lawmakers — including House Speaker Martin Romualdez — for a toned-down ceremony ahead of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fourth SONA on Monday, July 28.

The Batasang Pambansa, the session hall of the House of Representatives, traditionally serves as the venue for the annual event. The House and Senate will first hold separate sessions in the morning before lawmakers proceed to the Batasang Pambansa, where a red carpet is typically rolled out for them and their family members to pose for photos — turning the occasion into an annual fashion show ahead of the president’s speech.

“It would be out of touch to maintain a show of pageantry while our people are still in recovery,” Romualdez earlier said, as he requested Velasco’s office to eliminate the spectacle.

The Senate followed suit, canceling its own red carpet rollout for Monday’s opening session.

“No red carpet,” Senate Secretary Rey Bantug confirmed on Friday.

“As in the previous years, there will be designated areas where the media would have ample opportunity to cover the opening session on Monday,” he added.

Senators Loren Legarda and JV Ejercito said the SONA should have always been a simple affair, while Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri issued a strong appeal to his colleagues.

“Huwag tayong maging kapal mukha o manhid sa pangyayari sa ating mga kababayan at dapat tigilin muna yang mga Red Carpet fashionista walk na complete with dyamante pa at sana yung mga naglalakad sa baha at exposed sa leptospirosis ang dapat natin intindihin,” Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri said in a statement.

[Translation: Let us not be shameless or insensitive to what our fellow Filipinos are going through. We should put a stop to those red carpet fashionista walks — complete with diamonds — and instead focus on the people wading through floods and exposed to leptospirosis.]

Widespread flooding affected several parts of the country this week due to successive storms and the intensified southwest monsoon, or habagat, affecting millions of Filipinos across all 17 regions.