What Makes a Great Presidential Speech

Every year, the president of the Philippines may give more than a hundred speeches, ranging from brief remarks to inaugural addresses. But the most significant of these is the annual State of the Nation Address (SONA).

The SONA is a constitutionally mandated speech required by Article VII, Section 23 of the Philippine Constitution, which obligates the President to address Congress at the opening of its regular session every fourth Monday of July. From the name itself, it details the state of the nation, from the country's current economic, social, and political conditions to the administration's future agenda and policy direction. It's like a "report card," if you may.

We asked former presidential speechwriter and Esquire Philippines' Man at His Best - Icon of the Year Jose "Butch" Dalisay Jr. what makes a great presidential speech. The answer from the English and Creative Writing professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman is nothing short of insightful:

"The most important thing for a big presidential speech is—what’s the takeaway? What idea, theme, slogan, or hugot line will people remember and talk about the next day and the next week? Figures won’t matter much unless they mean something good to the ordinary listener. A good SONA will speak to a Filipino mother or father of three to five school-age children struggling to make ends meet."

We know these memorable stories and quotable lines that Dalisay is talking about. Who can forget Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's Bangkang Papel, which she referenced in her first SONA in 2001—probably one of the most calculated uses of narrative storytelling in recent political speeches? A year prior, a massive trash slide at the Payatas dumpsite in Quezon City killed hundreds of residents. In an effort to reach out to the young survivors and give them space to express their hopes and grievances, an urban poor civic group organized an activity where they could write wishes on pieces of paper, fold them into paper boats, and launch them into the Pasig River as a symbolic attempt to reach Malacañang Palace. Though the boats never actually reached Malacañang's riverbanks, the symbol eventually found its way to GMA's speech, specifically that of eight-year-old Erwin Dolera and 10-year-olds Jayson Vann Banogon and Jomer Pabalan, who respectively wished for the total closure of the Payatas dumpsite, the opportunity to finish college, and a home for their family. That definitely spoke to a Filipino mother and father.

Joseph "Erap" Estrada had his "Huwag ninyo akong subukan" during his inaugural address at the Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan, in 1998. 5. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III promised "Kayo ang boss ko" in his inaugural address at the Quirino Grandstand in 2010. The often-quoted "Change is coming" is from Rodrigo Duterte's 2016 SONA.

But more than these soundbites, the true power of a presidential speech, as Dalisay notes, lies in its ability to meet the Filipino people where they are. It's one that offers a convincing answer to our daily struggles.

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