Cover Inside the opening of the First Regular Session of the 20th Congress (Photo: courtesy of the House of Representatives of the Philippines)
Inside the opening of the First Regular Session of the 20th Congress (Photo: courtesy of the House of Representatives of the Philippines)
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Public officials, lawmakers and dignitaries gathered for President Marcos’s fourth SONA amid national recovery efforts
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos delivered his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) today at the halls of Batasang Pambansa, where lawmakers, dignitaries and select guests convened under markedly subdued circumstances.
In the days leading up to the address, the House of Representatives issued a memorandum urging members to temper the usual displays of sartorial opulence. The document called for “discretion in wardrobe choices” and a conscious avoidance of “ostentatious displays”, in solidarity with thousands of Filipinos displaced or affected by the recent flooding caused by the back-to-back habagat and typhoons Crising, Dante and Emong. In line with this, the traditional red carpet was absent this year. Instead, attendees quietly arrived in formal barongs and Filipinianas, with traditional attire still observed but stripped of the spectacle.
This time, public focus turned toward urgent recovery efforts, long-term climate resilience and the government’s response to crises both present and looming.
Below is a list of key attendees who were present for this year’s address.
More from Tatler: Inside the SONA: What happens during a State of the Nation Address in the Philippines?
First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos (Photo: Instagram / Michael Leyva)
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Angela Nicole Regis Guiral is a digital editor at Tatler Philippines. She studied journalism and has since written features that look closely at how culture, lifestyle and social impact converge, while occasionally wandering into the worlds of style and travel.
