The Senate and House of Representatives have begun early preparations for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA), scheduled in July. Both chambers want to ensure the smooth flow of the program.

Although nearly three months remain before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s fifth SONA, officials from the Senate and House of Representatives met on Tuesday, May 5, to begin preparations. 

Senate Secretary Mark Llandro Mendoza said that while they usually begin preparations in late May for the annual event set on the fourth Monday of July, they are aiming for earlier coordination this time, ahead of the expected sine die adjournment of Congress.

Mendoza, however, firmly clarified that the early preparations are not connected to the possible transmittal of articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte or the anticipated start of an impeachment trial.

The Senate secretary also said that the leadership of both the Senate and the House has given clear instructions to keep the occasion simple.

"Because of what's happening right now, di ba medyo baka magalit ang tao, mag-react. Medyo tame down lang ng konti, yun lang naman. Okay, so parehong bilin sir ni Speaker and Senate President na simple. Simple lang."

["Because of what's happening right now, people might get angry or react. Just tone it down a little, that's all. Okay, so the instruction from both the Speaker and the Senate President is to keep it simple. Just simple.”]

Mendoza added that discussions between the two chambers regarding the upcoming SONA are still in the initial stage. House officials are set to meet again, this time joined by the executive department and security agencies.

"Siguro ano lang, yung setup lang. More on sa setup siguro. Mas simple lang siguro gagawin namin. Initial pa lang naman to. First meeting pa lang naman. Kumbaga nagexchange lang ng views kung ano yung mga possible na pwede naming gawin namin."

["Maybe just the setup. More on the setup, I think. We'll probably make it simpler. This is still initial. Just the first meeting. We basically just exchanged views on what we could possibly do.”]

The fifth SONA of President Marcos Jr. is set on July 27, 2026.