Vice Pres. Sara Duterte To Skip SONA of Pres. Bongbong Marcos Again
SARA DUTERTE – The Vice President spoke on her absence at the upcoming 4th State of the Nation Address (SONA) of Pres. Bongbong Marcos.
In 2024, Vice Pres. Duterte did not attend the 3rd SONA of Pres. Marcos. It is no secret to the public that there is an ongoing rift between the two (2) government officials. It was also last year when she left his Cabinet along with her resignation from being the secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd). However, it seems like her absence at the annual address is set to happen again.
The House Secretary General’s Office previously revealed receiving a letter from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) informing them about Duterte’s absence in the upcoming 4th SONA of Marcos Jr. According to the House SecGen, all the other invitees expressed a positive response of coming to the annual address except for the Vice President.
In the letter, the OVP did not state the reason behind the absence of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte at the upcoming 4th SONA of Pres. Bongbong Marcos. Meanwhile, the House Secretary General’s office said they will still reserve a seat for Duterte at Marcos Jr.’s SONA just in case she changes her mind. The office also expressed that it will allot a holding room for the Vice President and her staff.
However, recently, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte spoke anew on the upcoming 4th State of the Nation Address (SONA) of Pres. Bongbong Marcos which seemingly puts an end to the possibility of her gracing the event. Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, the Vice President revealed that the annual address of the President will coincide with her schedule in South Korea.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte revealed that she will attend a gathering with the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in South Korea. However, based on the report, she did not give the exact details of her trip in the east Asian country.
“No SONA for me kasi confirmed na ang Korea natin na Filipino gathering,” the Vice President said.
Previously, Vice Pres. Duterte claimed she does not intend to attend the SONA of Pres. Marcos as she does not think that “he will be providing anything substantial about our country”. The rift between the highest and the second-highest officials in the government have become evident since the Vice President left the Marcos Cabinet.
According to Duterte, her decision to resign from being the DepEd secretary and totally leave the Marcos Cabinet stems from both personal and work reasons. On the expected absence of Vice Pres. Sara Duterte in the upcoming SONA of Pres. Bongbong Marcos, Malacañang gave a statement.