“Bakit siya nasa SONA?” This was the question raised by some Filipinos online after YouTuber Boss Toyo was spotted walking the red carpet at Batasang Pambansa on Monday, attending the third State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Several said they were confused why the content creator attended the highly anticipated SONA where the president reports to the nation. “Pati SONA, hindi niyo pinatawad? Ang SONA ay naka-address dapat sa taumbayan pero parang ginagawa niyong Met Gala Ball?,” a Facebook user wrote.
“Bakit parang pati SONA nilalaro nila?,” another user commented with crying emojis. “Nakakaloka, nothing against whatever he does in his platform but SONA is funded by our taxes, anong gagawin nya dyan?,” an X (formerly Twitter) user asked. “Kasi kung open pala sa lahat, di sana lahat ng pwede pumunta.
If I’m not mistaken, this is a by invitation only affair. Sino [nag-send] ng invite [diyan]? #Circus,” he continued with eyeroll and clown emojis. Members of the masses are especially critical this year following the news that the allocated budget for SONA 2024 reached over P20 million.
Some 2,000 guests were expected to attend the event. The budget reportedly covered equipment rental, food, and security, among many others. “Vloggers event yan? Sinasayang ng gobyerno ang pera ng taumbayan, P20 million pesos ginastos tapos kung sino-sino na walang kinalaman sa paggawa ng batas at polisiya ang nandyan,” BAYAN MUNA Partylist commen.