Metro Manila, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will deliver his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City on Monday, July 28 to report on the country’s progress and plans for Filipinos.
NewsWatch Plus lays out what the public can expect in this year’s SONA.
No red carpet fanfare
One major difference of this year’s SONA from Marcos’ previous ones is the removal of the red carpet spectacle before the president delivers his speech.
Usually, attendees of the SONA would enter the lobbies, walk on the red carpet to talk about the specifics of what they are wearing. This year, red carpets were scrapped from the north wing and south wing lobbies.
Red carpets were only laid at the main and rear entrances of the Session Hall.
The move is pursuant to the House Office of the Secretary General’s memorandum, which prohibited fashion coverage amid the flooding and other impact of the consecutive storms and the southwest monsoon that Filipinos continue to recover from.
The secretary-general released the memorandum after House Speaker Martin Romualdez requested for a toned-down SONA. Akbayan Rep. Perci Cendana also called for an austere SONA.
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NO SONA RED CARPET FANFARE
UPDATE: House Speaker Martin Romualdez says he requested the Office of the Secretary General to scrap the red carpet and fashion coverage during President Bongbong Marcos’ State of the Nation Address on July 28 as Filipinos reel from the impact of… pic.twitter.com/OWPBa0eBFc
— NewsWatch Plus PH (@newswatchplusph) July 24, 2025
