Robredo skipping physical SONA due to full-vaccine rule —spox

Vice President Leni Robredo could not physically attend President Rodrigo Duterte's final State of the Nation Address on Monday because of the full-vaccination requirement for attendees at the physical SONA venue, her spokesman said Sunday.

On VP Robredo's weekly radio program, Attorney Barry Gutierrez said the Vice President was initially asked to virtually attend the President's SONA, but the plan was changed and she was invited to be physically present at the Congress Session Hall.

"N'ung lumabas ang balita na ang imbitasyon ay para virtual attendance via Zoom, hindi [in-person], may mga nag-react. Pagkatapos ng ilang araw, they made clarifications, hindi daw. May bagong listahan na binigay ang IATF (Inter Agency Task Force), puwede na siya personal na pumunta," Gutierrez said.

(When the news broke out that she was invited via Zoom -- not in-person -- many people reacted. After a few days, they clarified that IATF gave a new list of invitees, including the VP.)

But, VP Robredo, who has yet to receive her second vaccine dose, could still not attend in-person because of the guidelines that only those fully-vaccinated are allowed to attend in-person.  

Gutierrez quoted the VP as saying, "Dahil hindi pa ako nakakatanggap ng second dose, kapag sa araw ng SONA, hindi na ako dadalo physically. Mag-a-attend ako via Zoom."

(The VP already said that since she has yet to receive her final vaccine dose, she won't attend physically. She will attend via Zoom.)

"Ayaw naman ni VP na ipagpilitan baka malagay sa panganib ang mga nandoon kasama si Pangulo" (She does not want to insist on her physical attendance as she doesn't want to put people at risk, including the the President), Gutierrez added.

Robredo got her first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine last May. She will get her second dose on August 11, according to Gutierrez. 

The National Vaccination Operations Center is recommending to reduce the standard interval of two doses from 12 weeks to eight to 10 weeks.

On top of the vaccination protocols, SONA attendees will also be subjected to RT-PCR and antigen tests. Around 350 people are allowed inside the session hall. —LBG, GMA News