Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 23) — President Rodrigo Duterte is not exempted from strict health checks prior to his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 27.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Thursday said Duterte will undergo a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or swab test to check if he is free of COVID-19 before he heads to Batasang Pambansa, the venue for his penultimate SONA.
Roque said the 15 Cabinet members, 50 lawmakers, other officials, and security aides allowed to witness the speech live have to undergo an RT-PCR test on Sunday, while the other staff who will be inside the Batasan Complex have to take a rapid test.
The House recorded its third COVID-related death within the Batasang Pambansa complex on Thursday, along with a total of 18 confirmed cases. Eight security aides of Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea have also tested positive for COVID-19, but Medialdea himself was cleared. Roque said it’s not confirmed if Medialdea will attend SONA following his exposure to several patients.
The attendance of the first family – composed of Duterte’s children, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, Vice Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, and Congressman Paolo Duterte, with Duterte’s partner Honeylet Avanceña – is also uncertain.
