Traditions and History

• The official broadcasting arm of the Palace, Radio Television Malacañang, will direct the SONA.

Although it is a yearly tradition and now a constitutional obligation for the president to deliver a SONA, two presidents in history –Jose P. Laurel and Emilio Aguinaldo – did not do so as their respective Constitutions did not require a report to Congress.

President Sergio Osmeña delivered only one SONA on June 3, 1946.

• All three living former Presidents – Joseph Estrada, Gloria MacapagalArroyo, and Rodrigo Duterte, have confirmed their attendance.

• Senators headed by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri and House members led by Speaker Martin Romualdez will convene in a joint session at Batasan Complex in Quezon City to formally open the second regular session of the 19th Congress at 10 a.m. today.

• Classical singer Lara Maigue will sing the Philippine national anthem.

• Over 2,000 guests have been invited to attend today’s SONA. Some 1,000 media practioners have been accredited to the event.

The SONA is usually delivered in the legislative building. However, in January 1950, Elpidio Quirino gave his SONA through a radio broadcast while hospitalized at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in the United States.

Within 23 minutes, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo delivered her 2005 SONA with only 1,556 words. It is the shortest one to date.

President Sergio Osmeña’s SONA in 1945 is the second shortest.

President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. holds multiple records in the history of SONAs. He delivered a total of 20 SONAs during his term from 1965 to 1986. He also made the longest speech in terms of word count in 1969 with 29,335 words.

President Rodrigo Duterte logged the second longest SONA during his sixth and final speech that lasted for two hours and 45 minutes.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s first SONA in 2022 marked the return to a full face-to-face setting since the pandemic started in 2020.Ziannen Santos and Louella Unilongo

By Joel Zurbano and Vince Lopez

FROM cutting-edge drones manning the skies to more than 22,000 policemen and augmentation forces on the ground, authorities spared no effort in securing the 2nd State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. today (July 24, 2023)

“The importance of these drones cannot be overstated. Embracing technological advancements, such as these drones, enhances our capabilities and allows us to carry out our duties with even greater efficiency and effectiveness,” PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda said.

Police and security personnel coming from the National Capital Region Police Office and five police district officesNorthern, Southern, Eastern, Manila and Quezon City - are deployed to safeguard key areas for the SONA.

Additional forces were also dispatched from various government agencies such as Aviation Security Group, Special Action Force, Joint Task Force NCR, Coast Guard, Bureau of Fire Protection, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Office of the Civil Defense, Department of Health, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, and Philippine Red Cross.

NCRPO chief Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the police has set up 31 entry and exit points around Metro Manila.

Authorities also enforced a “No Fly Zone / No Drone Zone” in and adjacent to the airspace of the Batasang Pambansa.

From 12:01 a.m. to 12 midnight today (July 24), all Permit to Carry Firearms

Outside Residence in Metro Manila are likewise suspended.

The Batasang Pambansa Complex, where the House of Representatives is situated, was placed under lockdown from July 20 to 23.

House Engineering and Physical Facilities Department (EPFD)

Executive Director Renato Dela Torre