Marcos’ 4th SONA set today, July 28

MANILA, Philippines, July 28 ------ The State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for 2025 is scheduled to take place today, July 28. This will be Marcos’ fourth SONA since he was elected president in 2022. He has two remaining SONAs before the end of this term in June 2028.

Following the SONA, the 20th Congress, composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate, will convene. This will be President Marcos’ second SONA without Vice President Sara Duterte in attendance. She announced her absence on July 22 during an interview in The Hague, Netherlands, where her father, detained former President Rodrigo Duterte, is being held for alleged crimes against humanity. This is also the first SONA since Rodrigo's arrest and detention in The Hague. He was arrested under the Marcos administration, with the president citing the country’s commitment to the Interpol.

This year’s SONA will be without Menardo Guevarra, the Marcos-appointed Solicitor General, who was not reappointed by the president. He has been replaced by Darlene Berberabe, dean of the University of the Philippines College of Law, who now serves as the government’s top lawyer. It has also been over a year since Marcos announced the ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) due to their illicit activities.

Judiciary. This year, Marcos also took significant steps in the judiciary. On June 9, Marcos appointed former Court Administrator Raul Villanueva as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, replacing retired Justice Mario Lopez. He is Marcos’ first appointee to a Supreme Court largely composed of Duterte appointees. After his third SONA, Marcos appointed six justices to the Court of Appeals and four to the Sandiganbayan.

Source: philstar.com