President Marcos' fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) will be "simple but dignified," Malacañang said.

Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said there will be no celebrity directors or A-list performers during the President's SONA on Monday, July 27.

According to Castro, the President called for a SONA that will be simple but dignified.

"Ang magho-host po kasi ng SONA ay ang House of Representatives. Pero naka-align po ang ehekutibo, ang Office of the President, dahil ang panawagan po dito ay simple lamang po, simpleng okasyon (The House of Representatives is the one hosting the SONA. However, the Executive Branch, through the Office of the President, is aligned with the call for it to be a simple event—a modest occasion)," Castro said in a Palace briefing on Monday, July 20.

"Ang gagawin lang natin sa gagawing SONA ay simple lamang po at wala pong celebrity directors or mga big A-listers na magpe-perform. So, simple lang pero dignified ang gagawin pong pagsasagawa po ng isang national event katulad po ng SONA (The SONA will be kept simple. There will be no celebrity directors or major A-list performers involved. It will be a simple yet dignified event, reflecting the proper conduct of a national occasion such as the SONA)," she added.

The Palace spokesperson also disclosed that the President has chosen someone to sing the national anthem, but did not reveal who.

"Kung may napupusuan po siya na aawit ng National Anthem, mayroon na po at alam ko na rin po, pero hindi ko po alam, magpapaalam muna ako kung dapat ko na siyang sabihin. Baka sabihin huwag muna at kailangan na may surprise. Pero kapag ako po’y pinayagan na, babanggitin ko po kahit ho bukas (If the President has someone in mind to sing the national anthem, that person has already been chosen. I already know who it is, but I need to ask for permission before revealing the name. They might tell me to keep it under wraps for now because they want it to be a surprise. But once I'm given the go-signal, I'll announce it—even as early as tomorrow)," Castro said.

The Palace official refuted claims that the President is scrambling to deliver an "acceptable" SONA, stressing that he has been constantly working.

"Hindi nagkukumahog ang Pangulo dahil sa SONAng ito. Nagkukumahog pa po siya para mas marami pa siyang magawa para sa taumbayan. Kulang na kulang ang oras sa Pangulo para maihatid ang lahat ng kailangan ng ating mga kababayan (The President is not scrambling because of the upcoming SONA. Rather, he is working tirelessly to accomplish even more for the Filipino people. There simply aren't enough hours in the day for him to deliver everything our countrymen need)," Castro said.

She called out those criticizing the President to not have "horse blinders," which causes them to only look in one direction. She urged them to broaden their perspective instead.

"[D]apat na lawakan ang inyong pag-iisip, buksan ang inyong mga mata, buksan ang inyong mga tenga. Ano na ba ang nagawa ng Pangulo (You should broaden your perspective, open your eyes, and open your ears. We should look at what the President has actually accomplished)," Castro said.