MANILA: With a total of 92 minutes speaking time, President Rodrigo Duterte delivered the longest first State of the Nation Address in Philippine History.
The one hour and 32 minutes-speech was part reiteration of his campaign promises, part bold instructions to government officials and institutions, and part ad lib, highlighted by a declaration of a unilateral ceasefire with the Communist Party of the Philippines.
Let’s take a look at other interesting trivia about the SONA:
The first ever SONA was delivered during a special session of the National Assembly on November 25, 1935. It was the only SONA delivered before a special session of the Legislature.
Historically, SONAs have been delivered on the months of January and July: 31 SONAs were delivered in January; 36 SONAs were delivered in July.
35 SONAs have been delivered under the 1935 Constitution, 13 under the 1973 Constitution, and 29 under the 1987 Constitution.
The president who delivered the most SONAs was Ferdinand E. Marcos, who held power from December 30, 1965 to February 26, 1986. He delivered 20 SONAs.
The shortest SONA according to word count was the one delivered by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2005, which had 1,551 words.
President Elpidio Quirino was the only president who delivered a SONA via a radio broadcast, which was aired live in Congress while in session. At the time, he was confined at Johns Hopkins Hospital in the United States. It was also the first SONA where the President did not appear personally in Congress.
President Benigno S. Aquino III was the only president to deliver his SONA entirely in Filipino, having had his first SONA on July 26, 2010.
