Romualdez calls for no red carpet SONA amid massive flooding

Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez has called for no red carpet State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 28 amid massive flooding brought about by a series of storms and monsoon rains.

Romualdez made the call four days before his cousin and President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. is set to deliver his fourth SONA in Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City.

“Many of our fellow Filipinos are struggling to get back on their feet. It would be out of touch to maintain a show of pageantry while our people are still in recovery,” Romualdez said.

“I have requested the Office of the Secretary General, if possible, to retain formal protocols but forego red carpet fanfare, fashion coverage and ceremonial staging. We will still observe decorum and tradition, but without the spectacle. The red carpet will be used for its functional purpose, not as a platform for display,” he added.

Romualdez, however, said that members of the House remain free to speak with journalists on their way in, as is customary.

“This is not about restricting access or silencing anyone. It’s about setting the tone: focused, grounded and responsive. The opening of Congress is not a fashion event, it is a working session. Let’s begin it with the seriousness and humility our times demand,” Romualdez said.

Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin backed Romualdez, saying it is the message of the President, not the pomp, that matters.

“We have to dress simply so people will be able to feel that we are one with them. SONA should not be projected as an event for the elite. It is an event for the people, for our people to know of the government’s plans and how they are able to benefit from it,” Garin said.

“We won’t have a lavish menu, and other expenses should be for things that we can still use for everyday work in Congress. And most of the preparations I have seen so far are related to the day-to-day operations in Congress,” Garin added.

The First Regular Session of the 20th Congress will formally open on July 28, ahead of the President’s SONA at 4 p.m.

At the Senate, Senator Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri said that the pomp and pageantry during the SONA must be toned down or outright removed “in deference to all those that are suffering due to the floods that hit all around the Philippines.” 

“‘Wag tayong maging kapal mukha o manhid sa pangyayari sa ating mga kababayan at dapat tigilin muna ‘yang mga red carpet fashionista walk na complete with dyamante pa at sana ‘yung mga naglalakad sa baha at exposed sa leptospirosis ang dapat natin intindihin,” Zubiri said in a statement. 

(Let's not be shameless or numb to what is happening to our countrymen. We should stop the red carpet fashionista walks complete with diamonds, and instead understand the situation of those who walk in the flood and are exposed to leptospirosis.) 

Senator Loren Legarda also said that the SONA and the opening of the first regular session at the Senate should be made simple and attuned to the times.

“Our people are suffering from the floods. We must use the occasion to solve the problems, to be part of the solution to this long standing problem, and not to be out of touch with the real state of nation,” Legarda said.

Senator JV Ejercito also expressed hope that there will be “less of the pageantry” in the upcoming presidential address due to the weather conditions that affected Filipinos.

“Hindi ito ang pagkakataon para rumampa at magpasikat. Hindi ito tama at hindi dapat,” he said.

(This is not the time to show off. This is not right and should not be done.) — with additional reporting by Giselle Ombay/LA, GMA Integrated News