President Marcos receives a standing ovation from lawmakers and dignitaries as he delivers his fifth State of the Nation Address at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City on Monday, July 27, 2026. Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian (top left) and Speaker Faustino Dy III (top right) led that day’s opening of the joint session of Congress. Photo by Marianne Bermudez /INQUIRER
MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivered his fifth State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday, July 27, 2026, at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City, in what was his longest speech to date at one hour and 26 minutes, drawing at least 93 rounds of applause and two standing ovations.
Key points:
Marcos opened with updates on the flood control scandal, signaling that the Office of the Ombudsman would soon file cases against his cousin, former House Speaker and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, saying that personal ties would not stand in the way of accountability.
He declared that the government’s anticorruption drive had been pursued “without favor or bias,” resulting in plunder, graft, bribery, and money laundering charges against dozens of politicians and former officials.
