President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. announced that his highly anticipated fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) is approximately 80 percent complete, requiring only minor fine-tuning before its delivery to Congress on Monday, July 28.
Despite a brief interruption to his schedule for a three-day official visit to the United States, which included a bilateral meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, President Marcos assured reporters that the core content of the speech has been finalized.
“We’ve been working hard on it. As soon as I get back, we’ll be working on it again,” the President stated from Blair House, the U.S. President’s Guest House in Washington, D.C. He expressed strong confidence that the address would be ready for its constitutional mandate. “So mahahabol namin ‘yun. I think we’ll be all right. Because what we have already written is substantial in terms of the SONA, which is about 80 percent complete. So, kaunti na lang ‘yung fine-tuning.”
The SONA, a constitutional requirement under Article VII, Section 23 of the 1987 Constitution, serves as the President’s annual report to the nation, outlining the country’s current status, the administration’s achievements, and its future priorities. It is traditionally delivered on the fourth Monday of July.
In a separate matter, President Marcos addressed the recent appearance of SONA tarpaulins in Metro Manila during heavy rains caused by Severe Tropical Storm Crising, describing the act as “highly inappropriate.” He clarified that he was unaware of the tarpaulins.
“That is an unfortunate misjudgment on their part. But we’ve corrected it, and I trust it will not happen anymore,” the President remarked.
President Marcos concluded his official visit to Washington D.C. on Tuesday, following productive discussions with President Trump focusing on critical trade and security issues between the two nations.
