Palace Press Officer Claire Castro during the Malacanang press briefing on July 16, 2026. Screen grab from RTVM livestream/Facebook.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is putting the finishing touches on his State of the Nation Address (SONA) as investigations into alleged irregularities in flood control projects continued, Malacañang said.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Marcos had been consulting officials from different government agencies as part of the preparation for his speech.
She said the President regularly met with agency heads for updates and policy inputs, not only in the run-up to the SONA but throughout the year.
Castro added that preparations for the annual address had followed the same process used since Marcos assumed office in 2022.
When asked if Vice Pres. Sara Duterte has been invited to attend the SONA, the Palace clarified that the President was not responsible for inviting Duterte.
Castro said invitations were handled by the House of Representatives, which hosts the annual joint session of Congress.
Meanwhile, Malacañang said inquiries into allegedly anomalous flood control projects remained ongoing, with some cases already filed in court and others still undergoing investigation.
Castro declined to say whether Marcos would discuss the issue in his SONA and referred questions on specific personalities and law enforcement operations to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).