By Jose Rafael Cesar C. Atencio, Kenneth Paciente, and Clay Pardilla | PTV News
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. approaches his penultimate State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 27, at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City as though entering a hall of mirrors, each reflecting a year of trial, each echoing a ledger of deeds.
He calls it not a ritual but a reckoning, a report to the people on what has been done since the last address.
President Marcos Jr. speaks of storms endured, of external forces that battered the nation, and of adjustments made in the machinery of state. He insists those adjustments, though improvised, have steadied the ship and kept the people afloat.
The Chief Executive said the speech itself remains a living draft, pliant until the hour. He vows it will be neither too long nor too short, but exact, containing the marrow of what matters. He admits he may change it even an hour before delivery, to ensure it breathes with urgency.
Asked about corruption, he offers only a tease: “Abangan ang susunod na kabanata.” A Nick Joaquin flourish—the pause before revelation, the ellipsis of destiny.
And in an ambush feed, the President intones: “I will make sure that people know all of the things that we have done to navigate this very difficult period in our history, where we are buffeted by all of these external forces.”
“But nonetheless, our response has been good, and we have had to make adjustments, but those adjustments have been effective and have served their purpose. And I know that it has helped people weather this storm and continue to weather this storm until things hopefully normalize,” he said.
Asked about details on the President’s 5th SONA, Presidential Communications Office Secretary Dave Gomez said, “Only the President knows the content of his SONA.”
Sec. Gomez earlier said in a television interview with a private media company that Marcos Jr.’s SONA will highlight the administration’s accomplishments over the past year and outline its legislative and executive priorities for the year ahead.
The PCO chief called the SONA a “report card.” He said it is an opportunity for the President to present the government’s achievements while setting the legislative agenda for Congress.
Gomez said the President is expected to discuss progress in education, affordable healthcare, transparency in public works, and food security.
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