MALACAÑANG said the fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will still be ‘dignified’ despite lacking the pomp of previous editions of the event with less celebrities involved in its conduct.
In a press briefing on Monday, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said no celebrity director will be tapped to handle the Sona on 27 July 2026 at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City.
There will also be no ‘A-listers’ who will perform.
‘So, the conduct of a national event like the Sona will be simple yet dignified,’ Castro said.
The first Sona of Marcos was directed by filmmaker Paul Soriano. Last year, The Voice USA Season 26 champion Sofronio Vasquez, sang the national anthem in the fourth Sona of the President.
Castro said the chief executive has someone in mind to lead in the singing of the national anthem, and she will identify this singer once she gets Marcos’s permission to do so.
Last month, the House of Representatives said next week’s Sona will be ‘simple’ since there will be no red carpet or long gowns. It also encouraged guests to wear simple but dignified clothing.
Government accomplishments
Asked about the criticism by BAYAN President Renato Reyes Jr. on the apparent rush of the Marcos administration to come out with accomplishments to report in his Sona as well as its selective justice, Castro slammed the critics for choosing to be ‘blind’ to government’s achievements.
The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) undersecretary has implemented measures to address the plight of Filipinos affected by earthquakes and typhoons, which affected parts of the country as well as the Middle East crisis.
However, she said Bayan appears to choose to wear ‘blinders’ when they deliberately disregard the efforts of the Marcos administration.
‘So, let us not resort to that; instead, we should broaden our perspective, open our eyes, and open our ears [to]-what exactly the President has accomplished,’ Castro said in Filipino.
She cited the reduction in crime incidents, by 17 percent from 9,506 from January to April to 7,883 from April 6 to July 4.
Despite such decline, Castro said Marcos recognizes the need to continue the campaign against crime, including the killing of the noted American marine biologist Kent Carpenter in Negros Occidental and pro-Marcos political vlogger Alicia Lipata, also known as ‘Mima Alicia,’ in Caloocan City.
‘The government does not condone the occurrence of such crimes. That is why the PNP [Philippine National Police] is intensifying its efforts to fulfill its mandate of ensuring safer communities and enabling faster responses to such incidents,’ Castro said.