More people are expected to physically attend this year's State of the Nation Address (SONA), it was learned from a meeting among the organizers at the House of Representatives.
The 2023 SONA is the second of Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s presidency.
Last year, 1,365 people were invited to attend Marcos' maiden SONA.
More people expected to attend Marcos' 2nd SONA
May 30, 2023 02:43 AM
At a glance
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. (Noel Pabalate/ MANILA BULLETIN)
More people are expected to physically attend this year's State of the Nation Address (SONA)--the second of Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s six-year presidency.
This was learned during a meeting in the House of Representatives Monday, May 29 wherein preliminary preparations for the annual event was discussed.
Given the limited space at the House plenary, Secretary General Reginald Velasco shared during the meeting that Speaker Martin Romualdez had approved the assignment of additional rooms at the Batasan Complex to accommodate more guests.
The SONA is traditionally held at Batasan Complex in Quezon City, home of the House of Representatives. The sitting president delivers the speech in joint session between the House and Senate.
A total of 1,365 people were invited to attend President Marcos' first SONA on July 25, 2022.
Normally, the plenary only has a section capacity of 1,200. It was reconfigured for last year's SONA, which incidentally was the first held in full face-to-face set-up since the Covid-19 pandemic began.
Vloggers covered Marcos' firsr SONA alongside mainstream media.
The next SONA, which will also be livestreamed, is scheduled on July 24, 2023.
Attending the Monday meeting were representatives from the Office of the Presidential Protocol, the Senate of the Philippines, and House officials led by Velasco.
A follow-up meeting has been scheduled to hammer out the plans for this year’s SONA in greater detail.