Duterte to skip SONA

Metro Manila, Philippines – Vice President Sara Duterte will skip for the first time the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 22, she said on Thursday.

The vice president didn’t explain her reason to forgo attendance to the annual address of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and just mentioned a foreign system of governance.

“I am appointing myself as designated survivor,” Duterte told reporters in an ambush interview in Davao city.

The Philippines has no law on appointing a designated survivor similar to the United States. This usually involves a cabinet member appointed by the White House who stays in a secure location during gatherings where all officials in the line of succession are present, ensuring continuity of government in case of a catastrophic event that wipes out the entire leadership.

Duterte’s announcement comes weeks after she quit the Cabinet as education chief and vice-chairperson of the anti-insurgency task force. These will take effect on July 19.

In a statement, Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua slammed Duterte for her remarks appointing herself as designated survivor.

“Such a joke is not in good taste because the security of the president of the Philippines is not a joking or laughing matter. Great care is taken to ensure the security of the president, especially during the SONA,” Chua said.

Marcos and Duterte won by a landslide in the 2022 general elections under the Uniteam ticket.

The two have shown differing positions, however, on a number of issues including the investigation by the International Criminal Court on the bloody drug war during the Duterte administration, the sexual and trafficking abuse cases of religious leader Apollo Quiboloy, a close friend of the Dutertes, and the sudden shift in the academic calendar for basic education, among others.

There have been differences as well between the vice president and First Lady Liza Marcos Araneta.

Aside from Duterte, former Vice Presidents Jejomar Binay and Leni Robredo are also reportedly skipping the SONA but they haven’t issued statements about their plans for the event.