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| State of the Nation Address | |
|---|---|
 PresidentBongbong Marcos deliveringhis third State of the Nation Address at the Session Hall of theBatasang Pambansa Complex on July 22, 2024. | |
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Speech |
| Frequency | Annually; 4th Monday of July |
| Venue | Batasang Pambansa Complex |
| Location | Quezon City |
| Country | Philippines |
| Inaugurated | June 16, 1936 (1936-06-16) |
| Most recent | July 27, 2026 (2026-07-27) |
| Next event | July 26, 2027 (2027-07-26) |
| Participants | President of the Philippines |
| Attendance | Congress of the Philippines |
| Website | stateofthenation |
TheState of the Nation Address (SONA[ˈsɔna];Filipino:Talumpati sa Kalagayan ng Bansa[1]) is an annual address by thepresident of the Philippines to ajoint session of theCongress of the Philippines. Mandated by the1987 Constitution, the speech is delivered on the fourth Monday of July at the Plenary Session Hall of theBatasang Pambansa Complex inBatasan Hills,Quezon City.
The SONA, which is often broadcast on live television, serves as a means to inform the nation about its present economic, political, and social condition. It is also a vehicle for the president to summarize the accomplishments and plans of their program of government both for a particular year and until the end of theirterm of office.
The Address is usually delivered at around 16:00PST (UTC+8). Before the appointed time, legislators enter the Plenary Session Hall, with members of Congress and their consorts in recent years sporting traditionally-inspired bespoke couture that, in some cases, expresses their legislative agenda or ideological leanings.
The President meanwhile arrives at the Batasang Pambansa Complex some minutes before the beginning of the joint session, and enters the main building through a back entrance. The President is then welcomed with military honors, and greeted by the Speaker of the House, the President of the Senate, and the welcoming committee, before proceeding to the Presidential Legislate Liaison Office.
The President then enters the Plenary Session Hall as thePresidential Anthem is played. The Secretary General introduces the President, who approaches the rostrum and is seated. The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House then convene the joint session, and the House of Representatives Choir leads the now standing assembly in singingLupang Hinirang. Representatives of variousreligious groups then lead the assembly in an ecumenical prayer.
The Speaker then introduces the President in English or Filipino with words similar to the following:
"[Ladies and gentlemen], [honorable] members of [the] Congress [of the Philippines],[His/Her Excellency], [Name], [the] President [of (the Republic of) the Philippines]."
The Address, which can last anywhere from one to several hours, is broadcast on television, radio, and online streaming by state agencies such as Radio Television Malacañang, as well as private media organizations.
An early form of the Address was in place during theFirst Philippine Republic, which was established in 1899 inMalolos,Bulacan. The revolutionary government took ideas from Europeanparliaments, where the magisterial role of thehead of state in the legislature was to mark the legislature's official opening.
TheMalolos Constitution of 1899 provided for the President to preside over the opening of Congress, as well as convey his messages to the legislature through a secretary. WhenEmilio Aguinaldo addressed theMalolos Congress inSpanish on September 15, 1898, he simply congratulated the formation of the first representative body of the Philippines and Asia. This is not considered a State of the Nation Address because the Malolos Constitution did not explicitly provide for one.
The State of the Nation Address as an annual practice began during theCommonwealth Era.[2]
TheJones Act enacted in 1916 was the first instance where a report about thePhilippine Islands was required to be submitted. However, the law only mandated a report by theGovernor-General to an executive office assigned by thePresident of the United States. This was in the form of a written document that discussed the transactions and movements of theInsular Government.
When the Commonwealth of the Philippines was created and the1935 Constitution enacted, it provided for an annual report of the President of the Philippines to Congress:
"The President shall from time to time give to the Congress information on the state of the Nation, and recommend to its consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient."[2]
The first formal State of the Nation Address was delivered by PresidentManuel L. Quezon on June 16, 1936 at theLegislative Building inManila.[2] The dates of the SONA were fixed on June 16 of every year at the start of opening sessions of Congress, by virtue of Commonwealth Act No. 17. However, CA 49 changed the date of the opening of Congress to October 16.
In 1937, October 16 fell on a Saturday, and the opening of Congress was moved to 18th, when Quezon gave the second State of the Nation Address. The opening date of Congress was again changed that year to the fourth Monday of every year. President Manuel L. Quezon delivered his final State of the Nation Address on January 31, 1941, prior to the onset ofWorld War II.
José P. Laurel, president of theJapanese-sponsoredpuppetSecond Republic, was able to deliver his only message before the special session of the National Assembly, led by SpeakerBenigno S. Aquino, Sr., on 18 October at the Legislative Building—four days after the Second Republic's establishment. This is, however, not considered a SONA as the1943 Constitution did not—as President Laurel himself pointed out—provide for such an address.
With the 1945 defeat of theJapanese Empire and the re-establishment of the Commonwealth Government, the now-bicameralCongress of the Philippines convened on June 9, 1945, the first time since their election in 1941. During this special session, PresidentSergio Osmeña addressed lawmakers at their provisional quarters (a repurposed schoolhouse) along Lepanto Street in Manila, and gave a comprehensive report on the work carried out by the Commonwealth Government during its three-year as agovernment-in-exile inWashington, D.C. Furthermore, he described the conditions prevailing in the Philippines during theJapanese Occupation and an acknowledgement of the invaluable assistance rendered byrecognized guerrillas to combined Filipino and American forces in the liberation of the Philippines.
The last Address of the Commonwealth was delivered by PresidentManuel Roxas on June 3, 1946. President Roxas would later deliver the first SONA of theThird Philippine Republic in front of the First Congress on January 27, 1947.
Beginning in 1949, the SONA was delivered at the rebuilt Legislative Building. Only once did a President not appear personally before Congress: on January 23, 1950, PresidentElpidio Quirino, who was recuperating at theJohns Hopkins Hospital inBaltimore,Maryland, delivered his SONA to a joint session of Congress via RCA. The Address was picked up by a local radio network at 10:00 Philippine Time (GMT+8), in time for the opening of the regular session of the2nd Congress.
The tradition of delivering the SONA on the fourth Monday of January ended in 1972, when from 1973 to 1977, PresidentFerdinand E. Marcos delivered the Address every September 21—the official anniversary of hisimposition ofMartial Law upon the country. Since Congress was abolished with the promulgation of the1973 Constitution, these addresses were delivered before a legislative assembly either inMalacañang Palace or atRizal Park, except in 1976 when the Address was given during the opening of theBatasang Bayan at thePhilippine International Convention Center.
President Marcos began giving the Address at theBatasang Pambansa Complex on June 12, 1978 during the opening session of theInterim Batasang Pambansa. From 1979 onwards, the SONA was delivered on the fourth Monday of July, following the provisions in the 1973 Constitution and the superseding1987 Constitution. The only instances deviating from this pattern occurred in 1983, when the SONA was delivered on January 17 to mark the anniversary of the 1973 Constitution's ratification and the second anniversary of the lifting of Martial Law. Another exception took place in 1986, after the People Power Revolution, where PresidentCorazón C. Aquino did not deliver any SONA. This was due to the dissolution of the Batasang Pambansa and the absence of a ratified new constitution at that time.
With the re-establishment of Congress in 1987, PresidentCorazon Aquino delivered her first SONA at the Plenary Hall of the Batasang Pambansa. All her successors in the office have since delivered their respective addresses in the same venue.
DuringRodrigo Duterte's presidency, the broadcast of the initial five of his six addresses were supervised by filmmakers:Brillante Mendoza in2016 and2017, andJoyce Bernal in2018,2019 and2020.[3]
The political opposition has had a response to the address, known as "kontra-SONA" (transl. counter SONA). Usually, theMinority Leader of the House of Representatives delivers the response in a session of Congress, a few days after the actual SONA.[4] In theSenate, the kontra-SONA has been delivered more sporadically, but there were instances of it being done.[5]
Protests are done on the day of the address itself. Protests usually occur for the second and subsequent addresses of each president, with the first address usually free from such. Protests are done atCommonwealth Avenue, Quezon City, the main road leading to theBatasang Pambansa Complex, andMendiola Street, frontingMalacañang Palace. Leftist groups such as theBagong Alyansang Makabayan usually burn aneffigy of the sitting president as a highlight of the protest.[6]
Local chief executives also give their own addresses modeled after the State of the Nation Address. These speeches are not mandated by law, but are given usually as a matter of practice or tradition.
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Recent addresses have been the subject of criticism by various sectors for being too ostentatious and flashy, with politicians and media personalities treating the event as ared carpet fashion show, thus others dubbing it as the country's version of theMet Gala. Former SenatorMiriam Defensor Santiago blasted the organizers and called the event a "thoughtless extravagance" where "peacocks spread their tails and turn around and around, as coached by media in a feeding frenzy."[7]
Then-House SpeakerPantaleon Alvarez for the17th Congress urged representatives to dress in simple business attire for future addresses, preferably thebarong tagalog for men and "short"Filipiniana for women, in preparation for PresidentRodrigo Duterte's first address in 2016.[8]
Si [Brillante] Mendoza ang kinuhang direktor ng live telecast ng unang dalawang State of the Nation Address ni Duterte, na gagawing mas popular ng direktor na si Bb. Joyce Bernal[...]
Media related toState of the Nation Address (Philippines) at Wikimedia Commons
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