Rains possible on SONA day - PAGASA

Metro Manila, Philippines - Rains may mark the fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday, July 28, the weather bureau said.

In a special weather outlook released Friday, July 25, Juanito Galang, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration weather division chief, said the southwest monsoon or habagat will be the dominant weather system when the 20th Congress opens session in the morning and meet in a joint session in the afternoon for the SONA.

Galang said the habagat will bring mostly cloudy skies with chances of isolated rains or thunderstorms over Metro Manila, Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Western Visayas, Negros Island Region, Zambales, Bataan, Cavite, Batangas, Occidental Mindoro, and Palawan.

The rest of the country may have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms.

Three consecutive storms and the enhanced habagat have dumped heavy rains throughout the country, causing massive flooding in a number of areas. Disaster management officials confirmed 25 people were killed from heavy rain and flooding.

The House of Representatives has officially banned the red carpet fanfare traditionally held during the SONA, heeding calls for an austere ceremony in light of back-to-back calamities.