House SecGen Speaks on Vice Pres. Sara Duterte, Pres. Bongbong Marcos’ 4th SONA
SARA DUTERTE – The Vice President will not attend the 4th State of the Nation Address or SONA of Pres. Bongbong Marcos on July 28 as per the House Secretary General.
The soured relationship between Pres. Marcos and Vice Pres. Duterte is not a secret to the Filipino. However, the rift between the highest and the second-highest officials in the Philippine government were even more ignited by the arrest and the transfer of custody of former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte to The Hague.
Even the Vice President’s siblings have reacted against the Marcos administration following the alleged surrender of a Filipino citizen to the foreign court. Davao Mayor Baste Duterte previously slammed Pres. Bongbong Marcos saying he will never be loved as the people wants FPRRD.
During the campaign period for the 2025 Midterm Elections, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte called on the Filipinos not to vote for the candidates of Pres. Bongbong Marcos. The President endorsed the senatorial slate of the Alyansa Para Sa Pagbabago while the Vice President campaigned for presidential sister and Senator Imee Marcos, Las Piñas District Representative Camille Villar, and the PDP-Laban candidates.
Prior to the Election Day, the Department of Agriculture announced the P20 per kilo rice program in Visayas. Vice Pres. Duterte linked it to the elections being a campaign promise of her former running-mate, Pres. Marcos. The DA halted the distribution of the affordable rice under the advice of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte claimed she knew that the P20 per kilo rice is doable but she refuses to share her knowledge with Pres. Bongbong Marcos. She asserted that the fulfillment of his campaign promise is quite late already.
The Duterte family believes that the Marcos administration wants the Vice President removed from office. She was impeached by the House of Representatives last February 5 amid questions on her officers’ Confidential Funds spending. Marcos Jr. stressed he is not in favor of the impeachment.
Recently, House Secretary General Reginald Velasco said Vice Pres. Sara Duterte will not attend the 4th SONA of Pres. Bongbong Marcos on July 28. Based on a post on ANC 24/7, the House SecGen claimed receiving a letter sent by the Office of the Vice President over the matter.
Currently, the Palace has yet to react on the report. Malacañang expressed its belief that the Senate should pay attention to the plea of the business groups to proceed with Duterte’s impeachment trial.