State of the Nation Address during his first State of the Nation Address on July 25, 2022. delivering her seventh
State of the Nation Address at the
Batasang Pambansa The State of the Nation Address (SONA) is an annual event, in which the president reports on the status of the nation, normally to the resumption of a joint session of 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. In 1940, however, the 1935 Constitution was amended and the term of the president (and vice president) was shortened to four years, with a two-term limit. Under the provisions of the amended 1935 document, only presidents
Manuel L. Quezon (1941) and
Ferdinand E. Marcos (1969) were re-elected. Presidents
Sergio Osmeña (1946),
Elpidio Quirino (1953),
Carlos P. Garcia (1961) and
Diosdado Macapagal (1965) all failed in seeking a new term. Marcos was the only president to serve three terms (1965–1969, 1969–1981, 1981–1986). On August 24, 1970, Congress enacted RA No. 6132, otherwise known as the Constitutional Convention Act, for the purpose of convening a
constitutional convention. The 320 delegates met from June 1971 until November 30, 1972, when they approved the draft of the new Charter. While in the process of drafting a new Constitution, President Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law on September 21, 1972. The draft Constitution was submitted to the Citizen's Assemblies from January 10 to 17, 1973 for ratification. On January 17, 1973, President Marcos issued Proclamation No. 1102, announcing the ratification of the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines. In
1981, President Marcos secured a third term, defeating
Alejo Santos in an election. The 1987 Constitution restored the 1935 Constitution's original ban on presidential reelection. Under Article VII, Section 4 of the current constitution, the term of the president shall begin at noon on the thirtieth day of June next following the day of the election and shall end at noon of the same date, six years thereafter. The incumbent president is not eligible for re-election, even if non-consecutive. Moreover, no president who serves more than four years of a presidential term is allowed to run or serve again. When a third of its membership has endorsed the impeachment articles, it is then transmitted to the
Senate of the Philippines which tries and decide, as impeachment tribunal, the impeachment case. A main difference from U.S. proceedings however is that only a third of House members are required to approve the motion to impeach the president (as opposed to the majority required in the United States). In the Senate, selected members of the House of Representatives act as the prosecutors and the senators act as judges with the Senate president and chief justice of the Supreme Court jointly presiding over the proceedings. Like the United States, to convict the official in question requires that a minimum of two-thirds (i.e., 16 of 24 members) of the senate vote in favor of conviction. If an impeachment attempt is unsuccessful or the official is acquitted, no new cases can be filed against that impeachable official for at least one full year. The Constitution enumerates the culpable violation of the Constitution, treason, bribery, graft and corruption, other high crimes, and betrayal of public trust as grounds for the impeachment of the president. The same also applies for the vice president, the members of the Supreme Court, the members of the constitutional commissions, and the ombudsman.
Official residence File:Malacañang Palace (local img).jpg|
Malacañang Palace, the official residence File:The Mansion, Baguio City. Building only.jpg|
The Mansion, the official summer palace
Malacañang Palace is the official residence of the president of the Philippines, a privilege entitled to him/her under Article VII, Section 6 of the Constitution. When the Americans occupied the Philippines, they also used Malacañang Palace as an official residence for their governors-general. During the
Japanese occupation of the Philippines, the presidential seat and government offices were transferred to the more inland Baguio, where the
Mansion House was used as the official residence. Meanwhile, President
Manuel L. Quezon of the
Philippine Commonwealth government-in-exile resided in the
Omni Shoreham Hotel in
Washington D.C. After the restoration of independence in 1946, plans were made for the construction of the new presidential residence to replace Malacañang in
a new capital city. However, the plans did not push through and the president's official residence is still Malacañang Palace in Manila. A secondary residence within the wider palace grounds is
Bahay Pangulo (), formerly known as
Bahay Pangarap () and
Bahay ng Pagbabago (), a smaller structure located on the south bank of the
Pasig River across the main palace in
Malacañang Park, President
Benigno Aquino III was the first to use
Bahay Pangarap as his official residence. It was originally built in the 1930s under President Quezon as a rest house and venue for informal activities and social functions of the First Family.
Malacañang of the South in
Davao City is the president's residence in
Mindanao. It was built in 2005 on state property and serves as an official residence and base of operations for presidents when visiting Davao and the surrounding provinces.
Malacañang sa Sugbo in
Cebu City was the former official residence in
the Visayas. Originally the local office of the
Bureau of Customs (BOC), it was converted to a palace in 2004. It was later returned to the BOC.
Malacañang of the North was also an official residence of the president in the
Ilocos Region. The residence is currently a presidential museum. Whenever the President visits the
Clark Freeport Zone, they stay at the White House, which was formerly the official residence of the Commanding General of the
13th Air Force during the time Clark was a
U.S. Air Force base. President
Manuel Roxas after reviewing troops on April 15, 1948, rested in the White House, but would later suffer a heart attack. Roxas death anniversary is commemorated annually at the White House.
Travel File:Mercedes-Benz S 320 CDI 4MATIC L (V 221) – Frontansicht (1), 30. August 2011, Düsseldorf.jpg|Presidential Car File:PAF_-_Gulfstream_G280.jpg|The Presidential Plane File:Some_Bell_412EP_of_Philippine_Air_Force.jpg|Presidential Helicopter File:BRP_Ang_Pangulo_(AT-25).jpg|Presidential Yacht
Air transportation carrying President
Corazon C. Aquino at
Subic Bay Naval Base. The 250th (Presidential) Airlift Wing of the
Philippine Air Force has the mandate of providing safe and efficient air transport for the president of the Philippines and the First Family. On occasion, the wing has also been tasked to provide transportation for other members of government, visiting heads of state, and other state guests. The majority of the fleet is fairly dated with a few exceptions it includes: 1
Fokker F28, which is primarily used for the president's domestic trips and it is also called "Kalayaan One" when the president is on board, 4
Bell 412 helicopters, 3
Sikorsky S-76 helicopters, 1
Sikorsky S-70-5 Black Hawk, a number of
Bell UH-1N Twin Hueys, as well as
Fokker F-27 Friendships. In September 2020, a new
Gulfstream G280 was delivered which will be used for VIP transport as well as for C2 (Command and Control) missions. For trips outside of the Philippines, the Air Force employs a
Bombardier Global Express,
Gulftsream G650ER or charters appropriate aircraft from the country's flag carrier,
Philippine Airlines. Any PAL aircraft with the flight number "PR/PAL 001" and callsign "PHILIPPINE 001" is a flight operated by
Philippine Airlines to transport the president of the Philippines. The president sometimes charter private jets for domestic trips within the Philippines due to some airports in the Philippines having small runways.
Water transportation BRP Ang Pangulo (
BRP stands for
Barkó ng Repúblika ng Pilipinas, "Ship of the Republic of the Philippines"; "
Ang Pangulo" is Filipino for "the president") was commissioned by the
Philippine Navy on March 7, 1959. It was built in and by Japan during the administration of President García as part of Japanese reparations to the Philippines for World War II. It is primarily used in entertaining guests of the incumbent president.
Land transportation The president of the Philippines uses two black and heavily armored
Mercedes-Benz W221 S600 Guard, whereas one is a decoy vehicle. In convoys, the president is escorted by the
Presidential Security Group using primarily
Toyota Fortuner SUVs with the combination of the following vehicles:
Toyota FJ Cruiser,
Toyota Fortuner,
Toyota Land Cruiser,
Toyota Hiace Toyota Camry,
Philippine National Police 400cc motorcycles,
Philippine National Police Mitsubishi Montero,
Toyota Innova (Police car variant), other government-owned vehicles, and ambulances at the tail of the convoy; the number depends on the destination. The presidential cars are designated and registered a plate number of "1" or the word "PANGULO" (president). The limousine bears the flag of the Philippines and, occasionally, the presidential standard. The Office of the President has also owned various cars over the decades, including a 1937
Chrysler Airflow that served as the country's very first presidential limousine for
Manuel L. Quezon. For regional trips, the president boards a
Toyota Coaster or
Mitsubishi Fuso Rosa or other vehicles owned by
government-owned and controlled corporations or government agencies. In this case, the
PSG escorts the president using local police cars with an ambulance at the tail of the convoy. Former president
Benigno Aquino III, preferred to use his personal vehicle, a
Toyota Land Cruiser 200 or his relative's
Lexus LX 570 over the black presidential limousines after their electronic mechanisms were damaged by floodwater. Malacañang had announced its interest to acquire a new presidential limousine. His successor,
Rodrigo Duterte, utilized a white, bullet-proof armored
Toyota Landcruiser as his official presidential vehicle.
Security The Presidential Security Group (abbreviated PSG), is the lead agency tasked with providing security for the president, vice president, and their immediate families. They also provide protective service for visiting heads of state and diplomats. Unlike similar groups around the world who protect other political figures, the PSG is not required to handle presidential candidates. However, former presidents and their immediate families are entitled to a small security detail from the PSG. Currently, the PSG uses
Toyota Fortuner SUVs as its primary security vehicles. == List of presidents ==