Preparations for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) are ongoing and remain on track despite looming weather concerns, House of Representatives Spokesperson Atty. Princess Abante said Monday.
“As of now, the preparations for the SONA are ongoing and have not been delayed. Of course, we will continue to monitor weather developments in the coming days, but as of today, everything is moving forward without disruption,” Abante said in Filipino during a press conference.
She said it is still unclear whether the SONA will be affected by the weather, and that the House is continuing to monitor developments.
“I would suppose there will be some contingency plans on how the SONA will be delivered in case the weather worsens, but there are no details yet,” she added.
Abante also said there is no final count yet of invited or confirmed attendees for this year’s SONA. Last year’s event was among the most attended in recent history.
“If I remember correctly, more than 1,500 confirmed their attendance. We are expecting similar numbers this year, though I cannot give you exact figures at this time,” she said.
She noted that security measures for the event have already been finalized and will be largely similar to those implemented in 2023. Adjustments, she said, will be made as needed.
Speaker Martin Romualdez has also activated relief and response efforts to assist districts affected by the typhoon, coordinating with lawmakers in need of aid for their constituents.
“I understand that some have already communicated with Speaker Martin’s office. The Speaker, in his capacity as a member of the House of Representatives, will help assist other members in coordinating with various national government agencies to request relief goods and other forms of assistance for their constituents. I do not have information yet on exactly who those members are,” Abante said.
President Marcos is scheduled to deliver his SONA on July 22 at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City.