President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he personally wrote the opening and concluding portions of his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA), which received some of the loudest applause during his speech on July 27.
In a vlog released Saturday, August 8, Marcos said he remained closely involved in the preparation and refinement of his address until the moment he delivered it.
The President explained that preparations began several weeks before the SONA, with a team tasked to compile relevant data, government developments, policies and programs that could be included in the speech.
“Ang katotohanan, ang buong-buo yung unang bahagi at saka yung huling bahagi; ako mismo ang sumulat no’n. Mahabang proseso ang pagsulat ng SONA speech,” Marcos said.
He described the process as involving multiple rounds of writing, research, editing and rearranging of the material to establish the structure of the address.
After the initial framework was completed, Marcos said he personally reviewed the wording and made adjustments, including replacing certain expressions and moving portions between English and Filipino to make the speech more effective when delivered orally.
“We fine-tuned it so that, alam niyo po iba ang pagsulat para sa mga babasahin. Iba yung pagsulat para sa pagsasalita,” he said, pointing out that speeches require a different writing approach because they are meant to be heard rather than merely read.
Marcos said the editing process continued until the final moments, including during the actual delivery, whenever he came up with what he believed was a clearer way to express an idea.
The President also acknowledged that some issues and topics were not included in the address because of time constraints, but stressed that their absence from the SONA should not be interpreted as a lack of importance.
“Marami kaming nailagay na kailangan na namin hindi namin na maisama dahil masyado ng mahaba kaya’t abangan na lang ninyo sa susunod na SONA,” he said.
“Ito nga yung sinasabi ko na hindi lahat ng bagay ay matatalakay, pero hindi nangangahulugan na hindi ito importante. Napaka-importante nito,” Marcos stressed.
Marcos made the statement while presenting a letter from the convener of the Youth for Health Coalition, who expressed concerns regarding the health conditions and welfare of young Filipinos.