Vice Pres. Sara Duterte To Skip Pres. Bongbong Marcos’ 4th SONA
SARA DUTERTE – The Vice President claimed that the Filipinos have the rights to listen or not to listen to the President’s State of the Nation Address (SONA).
The Office of the Secretary General of the House of Representatives previously announced the response of the Office of the Vice President to the invitation for the 4th SONA of Marcos Jr. According to the House Secretary General, the OVP said Vice Pres. Duterte will skip the annual event.
Then, the OVP reportedly did not mention why Vice Pres. Duterte will skip the 4th SONA of Pres. Marcos. She also ditched the 3rd annual address of the Chief Executive last year amid the start of a souring relationship between them.
Recently, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte claimed that she will skip the 4th SONA of Pres. Bongbong Marcos as she is set to meet with the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in South Korea. The Vice President also admitted that she does not expect that the President will provide “anything substantial about our country”.
Despite the response of the OVP to the invitation for the 4th SONA of Marcos Jr., the Office of the Secretary General of the House of Representatives assured that they will reserve a seat for the Vice President in case she changes her mind. They also planned to allot a holding room for Duterte and her staff.
The 4th State of the Nation Address of Pres. Bongbong Marcos is set on Monday, July 28. The Chief Executive will deliver his annual report to the Filipino people before the 20th Congress and it will be held at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City.
Recently, House of Representatives spokesperson Atty. Princess Abante claimed that it is allegedly part of the responsibilities of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte to listen to the 4th SONA of Pres. Bongbong Marcos. Based on a post of News5 on social media, the Vice President strongly disagree on the claim of the House Spox.
“Wala tayong batas na nagsasabing tungkulin ng mga Pilipino ang makinig sa Presidente,” Duterte said.
Based on the post, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte stressed that the law mandates the President to report to the Filipino people the status of the country but the people have the rights to listen or to not listen to the annual address of the Chief Executive.
“Ang nasa batas natin, nakalagay: tungkulin ng Presidente ang magbigay sa ating mga Pilipino, kung ano ‘yung estado ng ating bansa,” the Vice President said.
Aside from the Vice President, Senator Bato dela Rosa, a close ally of the Dutertes, also claimed that he will skip the 4th SONA of Marcos Jr.