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Quick facts about the SONA

by Joyce Remo

PUBLISHED ON July 24, 2023

EVERY year, the President of the Philippines is mandated to deliver a state of the nation address before Congress.

The SONA is deemed as one of the most important events in the Philippines as this serves as the President’s progress report to the Filipino people. It is also a platform to discuss the achievements, accomplishments, and progress made by the government in the past year.

Further, it serves as an opportunity for the President to be transparent about the administration’s actions and how it has addressed the challenges faced by the country.

The SONA plays a critical role in the democratic process of the Philippines by ensuring that the executive branch remains accountable to the people and that transparency is present in the nation’s governance.

Before we hear what President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reports in his second SONA, here are some interesting trivia republicasia have gathered about this annual address.

The first ever SONA was delivered by President Manuel L. Quezon on November 25, 1935 during a special session of the National Assembly. He delivered a total of seven SONAs during his presidency.

President Manuel L. Quezon during his first SONA in 1035. | Courtesy: Presidential Museum and Library

The only times the President didn’t deliver a SONA were during the Japanese Occupation from 1943 to 1944, and in 1986 after the EDSA Revolution.

Liberation of the Philippines 1945 | Courtesy: The National WWII Museum

The 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution | Courtesy: Inquirer.net

On June 4, 1986, however, President Corazon Aquino, delivered a speech in Malacañang to mark her first 100 days in office.

President Corazon C. Aquino during her first SONA in 1986. | Courtesy: Presidential Museum and Library

The late dictator and President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. delivered the most number of SONAs. He delivered 20 annual speeches on the state of the nation.

President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. during his second SONA in 1967. | Courtesy: National Library of the Philippines

Meanwhile, the President who had the least number of SONAs was Sergio Osmeña who delivered only one, on June 3, 1946.

President Sergio Osmeña’s first and only SONA in 1946. | Courtesy: Presidential Museum and Library

Marcos Sr. was also the one who delivered the longest SONA speech with over 29,000 words in 1969.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, now a Pampanga representative, delivered the shortest SONA with 1,556 words in 2005.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during her seventh SONA in 2007. | Courtesy: Malacañang Photo Bureau

The President’s SONA had been delivered in various locations throughout the years, including the Legislative Building in Manila (which now houses the National Museum of Fine Arts), Malacañang Palace, the Quirino Grandstand, the Philippine International Convention Center, and the John Hopkins Hospital in the US.
President Elpidio Quirino, on the other hand, delivered his second SONA via radio broadcast in 1949. At the time, he was confined in the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, where he had sought treatment.

President Elpidio Quirino delivered his second SONA in 1949 in a hospital bed in Baltimore, USA. | Courtesy: President Elpidio Quirino Foundation

President Rodrigo Duterte, meanwhile, delivered his pandemic SONAs in 2020 and 2021 through a hybrid setup. A few were allowed to physically attend his address at the Batasang Pambansa while others joined him virtually.