Marcos says SONA ‘80% written,’ promises focus on social projects

Metro Manila, Philippines - President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assured the public that preparations for his upcoming State of the Nation Address (SONA) are on track despite the government’s disaster response, with about 80 percent of the speech already completed.

Speaking to reporters during his US trip, Marcos explained that each SONA is unique as it reflects the current state of the country.

“Well, they’re all a little different from each other… the state of the nation today is different from what it was last year and the last year before that. So, of course, necessarily it will be different,” he said.

The president shared that this year’s address will focus on the administration’s social programs for Filipinos in need and the initiatives his administration has launched, which he hopes will continue even after his term.

Preparations were briefly delayed due to his visit to Washington to meet with US President Donald Trump. While abroad, Marcos also ordered the temporary suspension of SONA-related activities in Manila as heavy rains and flooding hit parts of the country.

“Mahahabol namin ‘yun. I think we’ll be all right. Because what we have already written is substantial in terms of… The SONA is about 80 percent written. So, kaunti na lang ‘yung fine-tuning,” Marcos said.

[Translation: We’ll catch up. I think we’ll be all right. What we have written so far is already substantial… The SONA is about 80 percent written. Only fine-tuning remains.]

He added that he cleared his schedule to make up for lost time and expects to continue working on the speech until the weekend before delivery.

Marcos will deliver on July 28 his fourth SONA, a report on accomplishments and challenges ahead halfway through his administration.