House of Representatives (PPAB)

The House of Representatives is eyeing the release of invitations for President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. second State of the Nation Address (SONA) by Monday, July 10.

Thus, said House Secretary General Reginald Velasco as he addressed the participants of the 1st Inter-Agency Coordination Meeting for SONA 2023 Tuesday, July 4 at Batasan Complex in Quezon City.

"We will also highlight the deadlines," Velasco said at the start of the meeting, noting that the guest list was their "number one priority".

In particular, Velasco wants to get the finalized guest lists of the Office of the President (OP) and the Senate.

"We must have this guest list within the week because our plan is to send the invitations, the formal invitations and the collaterals by next week starting Monday," he said.

"So we must have the guest list within the week. If you're ready today, you can submit it to us because we want to know how many seats we will reserve for your guests," stressed Velasco.

This year's SONA--as per tradition--will take place at the plenary hall of Batasan Complex on July 24, 2023 during a joint session of the House of Representatives and Senate.

The House is seen as the main organizer of the SONA, since it is carried out in its home turf of Batasan.

A total of 1,365 people were invited to attend President Marcos' first SONA on July 25, 2022. This was the first SONA to be held in full face-to-face set-up since the Covid-19 pandemic began.

Last May 29, Velasco told House reporters that more people are expected to physically attend the President's annual speech this year.