The constitution of the Philippines requires the President to appear before Congress and deliver her “State of the Nation” (SONA) address on the third Monday July each year. The idea was that the President can present her accomplishments and plans to the legislature and the people. The whole idea of the Head of State appearing before parliament started with the English Sovereigns who called parliament on their whim if they wanted something done (more taxes, ex post facto bills, lop somebody’s head off etc). As representative government evolved, parliament became supreme in passing laws. The Monarch became under the law rather than above the law. While she can still summon parliament on a whim (The Queen retains this prerogative to this day and so does the President of the Philippines), she rarely if ever does. In the case of the Queen of England, constitutional convention forbids her to express her political opinion in public. When Parliament new sitting starts; The Queen just reads th...
"It is surely harmful to souls to make it a heresy to believe what is proved" - Galileo