JULY 2009 Feature: State of the Nation Address (SONA)

The State of the Nation Address (Filipino: Talumpati sa Kalagayan ng Bansa, abbreviated SONA) is an annual event in the Republic of the Philippines, in which the President of the Philippines reports on the status of the nation, normally to the resumption of a joint session of the Congress (the House of Representatives and the Senate). This is a duty of the President as stated in

Article VII, Section 23 of the 1987 Constitution:
“The President shall address the Congress at the opening of its regular session. He may also appear before it at any other time.”

The address is also an opportunity for opposition parties to protest against the government. In 2005, tens of thousands of people attended protest rallies during the State of the Nation Address of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, calling on her to resign.

In 2008, the SONA was delivered on Monday, July 28 at 4:00 P.M.

History
The "State of the Nation" address was first mentioned in the 1935 Constitution, in Section 10 of Article VII:
“The President shall from time to time give to the Congress information on the state of the Nation, and recommend to its consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.”

With a few minor changes such as "President" for "He" and "its" for "their", this is the same wording as is in Article II, Section 3 of the United States Constitution. In 1935, the Philippines was a colony of the United States of America.
2006 marked the 70th anniversary of the State of the Nation Address. The first one was delivered by President Manuel L. Quezon on June 16, 1936. All such addresses are published in The Official Gazette, an annual publication by the government, which is a collection of all promulgations, Supreme Court decisions, executive issuances, and laws, which have been passed for the year. It is always delivered on the fourth Monday of July.

Local versions
Local governments in the Philippines also give their own addresses at some point during the year. At the provincial level, this is called a "State of the Province" Address, or SOPA, given by the provincial governor, while at the city and municipality level, this is called either a "State of the City Address" (SOCA) or "State of the Municipality" Address (SOMA), given by the mayor. In the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, this is called a "State of the Region" Address, or SORA, given by the regional governor. These speeches are not mandated by law, but are given usually as a matter of practice or tradition.
It is the practice of the Philippine Independent Church to release an annual "State of the Church" Address coming from the Supreme Bishop.