Marcos answers SONA questions from citizens

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos answered questions from citizens regarding his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) – from his preparations to the issues he tackled.

In his vlog posted on Facebook yesterday, the President read the reactions and questions from some citizens regarding his annual address which lasted one hour and 26 minutes, longer than his 2025 address which lasted one hour and 10 minutes.

“First, I was asked if I was the one who wrote my speech, considering how busy I am,” Marcos said. “The truth is, I was the one who wrote the entire first part and the last part.”

In the opening of his SONA, Marcos revealed that criminal cases were being readied against his first cousin, former speaker Martin Romualdez, in relation to the multibillion-peso flood control scandal.

“I am not the President of my family. I am not the President of my friends. I am the President of the Philippines and my duty is to you, my fellow Filipinos,” he said.

In the last part of his address, Marcos slammed what he called threats to Filipinos’ dignity and self-respect by “detractors” and vowed to continue upholding the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award on the South China Sea.

“Let me remind our friends and our detractors: Filipinos are a noble, kind, gracious and a great race. We are not greedy. We are not racists. We are not liars. We are respectful and we are dignified. We are Filipinos and we do not yield,” he said.

Meanwhile, a citizen asked Marcos who chooses and designs his attire.

“It is my sister Irene who looks for my clothes – especially my barongs… whenever she spots a nice barong or a nice outfit, she gets it and tells me, ‘here, wear this,’” the President said, referring to his younger sister Irene Marcos-Araneta.

“Maybe about a month before the SONA, she sent over some barongs and said, ‘Here are five really beautiful barongs, choose what you want,’” he said.

After his SONA, Marcos said they received a message from a group advocating for youth health.

The letter was from Aliyah Mae Lozari, convener of the Youth for Health Coalition.

He said he needed to leave several topics out of his SONA as the speech was already running too long, but those topics are still “extremely important.”

The President also read a question from Ali, who asked him to prioritize House Bill 3887, which raises excise taxes on alcoholic beverages and other health taxes.

“Your letter is so timely, Ali. That is precisely why we have really strengthened our efforts to assist our fellow citizens when it comes to health care,” Marcos said.

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