What to expect in Marcos' fourth SONA
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.
House spokesperson Princess Abante said about 1,500 attendees are expected – similar to last year’s SONA – but the figure may decrease amid the inclement weather.
Vice President Sara Duterte has already said she will skip the event amid her feud with the president.
READ: Duterte’s duties include listening to SONA - House spokesperson
Speech
Marcos has said that this year’s SONA will focus on the government’s social programs and initiatives, which he hoped would continue even after his term.
He is working to finish his speech by this weekend before he delivers it on Monday.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin earlier said Marcos is “very involved personally” in crafting the SONA report.
Bersamin added that the president “loves to communicate to the people” the entire government’s actions.
Protests and security
A number of progressive groups will mount protests ahead of the SONA on Monday afternoon. These include progressive groups Bayan, Kalikasan, Agham, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, Kilusang Mayo Uno and the Alliance of Concerned Teachers, and Health Alliance for Democracy.
A multi-sectoral protest, dubbed “People’s SONA,” will take place at 3 p.m. along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City.
As in previous protests, groups will burn an effigy as a symbol of criticism to the government.
Groups will also call for the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte after the Supreme Court ruled the Articles of Impeachment were unconstitutional.
Meanwhile, about 16,000 police personnel will be deployed in the vicinity of the Batasang Pambansa and other areas of Metro Manila to provide security.
Based on the House’s information on Friday, there are no threats monitored for the event.
Weather
Based on the state weather bureau’s forecast, the southwest monsoon, locally called habagat, will be the dominant weather system on Monday.
The habagat will cause cloudy skies with chances of isolated rains or thunderstorms over Metro Manila.
The Philippines has been battered by consecutive storms - Tropical Cyclones Crising, Dante, and Emong - and the habagat this month, resulting in many areas being submerged in flood.
The weather disturbances have killed 30 individuals as of Sunday.
