Risa Hontiveros on SONA 2025's no red carpet affair: 'Dapat lang'

Senator Risa Hontiveros expressed her support for the simpler, no-frills format of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA), saying it was long overdue.

Speaking to GMA News Online upon her arrival at the South Wing Lobby of the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City for SONA 2025 on Monday, Hontiveros said she welcomed the shift to a more modest ceremony.

"Matagal nang dapat ni-welcome 'yan kasi kaming mga nagtatrabaho sa gobyerno, tulad ng nakasaad sa batas, ay dapat simpleng pamumuhay, modest na pamumuhay," she said.

"Kahit nga 'yun [simpleng pamumuhay] ay hindi maabot ng karamihan sa ating mga kababayan so dapat lang i-tone down 'yung mga ganitong seremonyas," she added.

The senator's remarks came after House Secretary General Reginald Velasco released a memorandum last week directing the "austere holding" of this year's SONA. 

The memo emphasized that there would be "no staged ceremonies, fashion coverage, or photo setups in the red carpet area " in light of the recent calamities affecting several regions of the country.

—CDC, GMA Integrated News