House of Representatives on Monday said it is now “90 to 95 percent ready” to host President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Batasang Pambansa complex in Quezon City.
House spokesperson, lawyer Princess Abante, made the announcement following the final interagency coordination meeting held earlier in the day to finalize preparations.
“From the discussions I heard earlier, siguro mga nasa 90 to 95 percent na tayo (we are about 90-95 percent) ready, leaving room for some adjustments,” Abante said in a press briefing.
“Just some matters na lang na kailangan i-check (that needed to be checked). I think in a while the interagency delegation will have a walk-through in the House of Representatives. But other than that, we are all set,” she added.
Abante said the House is now in the final stretch of SONA preparations, with all agencies involved closely monitoring weather conditions and fine-tuning contingency plans.
Despite intermittent rains and prevailing weather systems in recent days, she clarified that these have not caused any disruption.
“Sa ngayon, tuluy-tuloy pa rin ‘yung preparations natin. Hindi naman siya naaantala. Of course, we will keep on monitoring ‘yung developments ng ating panahon sa mga susunod na araw. Pero as of today, tuluy-tuloy at wala namang disruption sa mga preparations,” she said.
In case of severe weather, Abante said contingency plans are being considered, but there have been no talks of postponing the physical gathering on July 28.
She added that security preparations are finalized and will be similar to last year, with minor adjustments as needed.
“Of course, there will always be adjustments on various situations or concerns, but just the same, the security group is all prepared for next week’s SONA,” she said.
Abante also clarified that there are no specific security threats currently being monitored, though law enforcement agencies remain vigilant.
“Sa ngayon, wala naman akong alam specifically na binabantayan (There are no specific threats being monitored). The Philippine National Police and the Presidential Security Command are always prepared for any security threat. But any specific, well, I have no information,” she said.
On the guest list, she said that while she does not have the exact numbers, attendance is expected to be similar to last year’s record turnout.
“Last year, I think that was one of the most attended SONA that we’ve had in recent history. If I remember, more than 1,500 last year ‘yung nag-confirm na um-attend (confirmed to attend). And we are expecting that the numbers will be similar to that,” she said.
Abante also encouraged the public to tune in to the President’s fourth SONA.
“We are looking forward to the President’s report to the country. And we are inviting everyone to stay tuned in the different media outlets and social media accounts so that all of us will hear what the President will report as to the developments of our country and what we will be expecting in the next coming months.” (PNA)
