Marcos’ SONA speech 80% complete, now at final fine-tuning 

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said that his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) is approximately 80 percent complete and currently undergoing final revisions, “with only minor fine-tuning needed,” ahead of its scheduled delivery on Monday, 28 July.

Speaking to reporters at Blair House, the U.S. President’s Guest House in Washington, D.C., Marcos said the speech had largely been written prior to his official three-day visit to the United States, where he met with former U.S. President Donald Trump.

“We’ve been working hard on it. As soon as I get back, we’ll be working on it again,” Marcos said, expressing confidence that it would be ready in time for his speech delivery before Congress. 

“So mahahabol namin ‘yun. I think we’ll be all right. Because what we have already written is substantial in terms of- the SONA is about 80 percent written. So, kaunti na lang ‘yung fine-tuning,” he said. 

The annual SONA, mandated under Article VII, Section 23 of the 1987 Constitution, serves as the President’s report to Congress on the state of the nation, along with key policy directions and legislative priorities. It is traditionally delivered every fourth Monday of July.

Meanwhile, Marcos addressed public concerns over the premature display of SONA-related tarpaulins in parts of Metro Manila amid inclement weather caused by Severe Tropical Storm Crising.

Calling it “highly inappropriate,” the President said the move was a “misjudgment” and clarified he was not informed in advance.

“That is an unfortunate misjudgment on their part. But we’ve corrected it, and I trust it will not happen anymore,” he said.

Marcos departed Washington, D.C. on Tuesday following his bilateral meeting with Trump, where trade and security issues topped the agenda.