Leyte Rep. Romualdez urges modest SONA

Leyte Rep. Romualdez urged canceling the red carpet at SONA on July 28, citing massive flooding from storms and monsoon rains.

Romualdez requested the Office of the Secretary General to retain formal protocols but forego red carpet fanfare, fashion coverage, and ceremonial staging.

He emphasized they will use the red carpet for its function, not as a display platform.
Romualdez emphasized that House members may speak with journalists as they enter and urged a focused, grounded, and responsive Congress to be open

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

Garin emphasized the government should present SONA not as an elite event but as a way to inform people about the benefits.

The First Regular Session of the 20th Congress will formally open on July 28.

Senator Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri urged leaders to tone down or remove SONA pomp and pageantry to honor flood victims.

Senator Loren Legarda also emphasized the importance of using the occasion to solve problems and not to be out of touch with the real state of the nation.