Key moments from Marcos Jr.'s second State of the Nation Address
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos Jr. delivered his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 24 at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City, presenting his accomplishments a year after his inauguration and his priorities in the next five years as head of state.
Lasting at one hour and eleven minutes, his SONA received 68 rounds of applause from the audience comprised of the members of the House of Representatives, the Senate, and their guests.
Here are the moments that stood out during one of the most important speeches of Marcos
Marcos reminisces about the past year
The chief executive looked back on his achievements in the previous year as he watched a promotional video just before he stepped out into the session hall of Batasang Pambansa.
"We will endure. Let our Filipino spirit ever remain undimmed. I know this in my mind. I know it in my heart. I know it in my very soul. The state of the nation is sound," the narration read, which was taken from his first SONA.
Afterward, the video began to play a montage of highlights that Marcos accomplished during his first year of presidency.
Greetings from allies and loved ones
Marcos' older sister Imee was one of the first people to greet him at the Batasang Pambansa.
There, she had the opportunity to show him her henna tattoos, which were a part of her overall look—a tribal outfit gifted to her by the Igorot during a previous visit.
Later on, the chief executive started to walk through the session hall, where he had a chance to greet and shake the hands of his allies such as former presidents Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapaga-Arroyo.
However, he seemed to have not taken notice of his vice president, Sara Duterte, who sat next to his wife Liza Araneta-Marcos. The two women wore matching yellow outfits—Duterte opted for a traditional Maguindanaon dress, a Bangala paired with a trouser, and a flowing inaul or malong; while Araneta-Marcos wore a hand-embroidered piña terno by Lesley Mobo.
Nevertheless, Marcos later acknowledged the efforts of the vice president in his speech for trying to improve the quality of education in the country as the secretary of education.
Lara Maigue sings the national anthem
As with tradition, Marcos' SONA started with the performance of Lupang Hinirang, and this year, classical soprano singer Lara Maigue was the one to perform her rendition of the national anthem.
During her performance, Maigue wore a champagne-colored dress with intricate patterns and a butterfly-sleeved bolero. She is a graduate of the University of the Philippines' College of Music with a major in Voice and is recognized by the Aliw Awards Foundation as Best Female Classical Performer for 2017 and Best Female Crossover Artist for 2018.
Prayers from five different religious leaders
Marcos' second SONA was opened with prayers from five different religious leaders. They are:
- Cardinal Orlando Beltran, Metropolitan Archbishop of Cotabato (Catholic)
- Iman Aleem Ahmad Said Basher, Imam Council of the Philippines Chairman (Muslim)
- Rev Eduardo M. Lapiz, Day by Day Christian Ministries Head Pastor (Protestant)
- Joy Edwil Zabala, Minister of the Gospel in the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC)
- Gerado Cajobe, North Philippine Union Conference of the Seventh-Day Adventist (Seventh-day Adventist)
Most applauded statements
One of Marcos' most applauded moments was when he said that the days of those who are smuggling and hoarding agricultural products are now numbered. Explaining how their actions not only harm farmers but also consumers, the chief executive said that he is making it his goal to thwart their unacceptable actions.
As traffic is one of the major problems that is crippling the Philippines, Marcos' was cheered the loudest again when he bared his Mega-Bridge Program that aims to reduce travel time for Filipinos.
During his speech, he also talked about how the administration will relentlessly continue to fight against drug syndicates, shut down their illegal activities, and dismantle their network of operations. Cheers were also strong when Marcos' said that he will be "accepting resignations" from corrupt law enforcers.
Standing ovation
Marcos received a standing ovation at the end of his speech.
He highlighted how there is an "enormous pool of highly competent and dedicated workers serving in the government," which became a strong factor in why the country is continuously improving.
"They have unanimously risen to the challenge that we have made to them to be part of the nation’s future. Handa silang maghandog ng tulong, dahil mahal nila ang kanilang kapwa-Pilipino, at mahal nila ang Pilipinas. With this in my heart, I know that the state of the nation is sound, and is improving," he said.
Marcos' first SONA started at 4:06 pm and ended at 5:17 pm, which was three minutes shorter than his first one.
