MANILA, Philippines — The lack of a physical red carpet did not prevent attendees of the 2025 State of the Nation Address from showcasing the modern beauty of the Filipiniana.
Just days before SONA 2025 took place earlier today, the House of Representatives announced that there would be no red carpet laid out at entrances to the Batasang Pambansa.
Re-elected House Speaker Martin Romualdez requested to tone down this year’s SONA because it would be “out of touch” while the country grapples with rehabilitation efforts following the continuous tropical cyclones and the enhanced southwest monsoon battering the nation last week.
Politicians and their guests promptly showed up to the House of Representatives before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fourth SONA, expectedly donning Filipiniana or formal attire.
Here are some of the outfits that stood out on the SONA 2025 “red carpet”:
Since Chiz Escudero’s return to the Senate in 2022, his wife Heart Evangelista once more brought her fashion looks to SONA.
This year Heart wore a white Filipiniana dress by Michael Leyva, who also designed the Filipiniana outfit Heart wore during the Senate’s morning session when Chiz was re-elected Senate President.
“Perfection in simplicity,” Leyva wrote on his social media posts showing Heart wearing his design.
Philstar.com / Jan Milo Severo
Other attendees that Leyva designed outfits for were Senator Joel Villanueva’s wife, Gladys; Senator Raffy Tulfo and ACT-CIS Partylist Rep. Jocelyn Tulfo’s daughter, Maricel; Special Assistant to the President for Investment and Economic Affairs Fredrick Go’s wife, Winnie; and Deputy Social Secretary Dina Arroyo-Tantoco.
The highest profile individual Leyva designed for in this year’s SONA was First Lady Louise “Liza” Araneta-Marcos, who donned a red Filipiniana gown.
Also wearing an all-white Filipiniana were Senator Risa Hontiveros, who joined the Senate minority after voting for veteran lawmaker Tito Sotto over Chiz, accompanied by her youngest daughter Sinta in a matching terno and former Bataan 1st District representative Geraldine Roman.
Philstar.com / Jan Milo Severo
One surprise attendee to this year’s SONA was Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach Jauncey, also in a white Filipiniana outfit.
Pia was mostly likely attending as an ambassador of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), as she accompanied the agency’s administrator, Patricia Yvonne “PY” Caunan.
Philstar.com / Jan Milo Severo
Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Sandro Marcos, the son of the president and newly-elected Majority Leader in Congress (the youngest in its history), wore a bespoke customized Barong by SALVO Tailors.
Philstar.com / Anjilica Andaya
Barong-clad Leyte 4th District Rep. Richard Gomez attended the SONA with his daughter Juliana, who wore an orange-and-green modern Filipiniana.
Kabataan Rep. Renee Co continued the partylist’s tradition of wearing protest outfits to the SONA after being elected in the most recent midterm elections.
Co wore the dress from her University of the Philippines College of Law graduation two years ago. The redesigned protest outfit now features designs by volunteer artists Gaia Mauricio and Albert Raqueño.
Co’s skirt features an image of a young Filipina rising from floods, a strong statement about breaking the seat of power being fought over by local elites and propped up by foreign powers.
In their own form of protest, Dinagat Islands Rep. Kaka Bag-aoand Akbayan Partylist Reps. Chel Diokno, Perci Cendaña, and Dadah Kiram Ismula all wore peach ribbons to emphasize their support for continuing the impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte.
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