VP Sara Duterte to skip SONA anew —House SecGen

Vice President Sara Duterte will not be attending the fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on July 28, House Secretary General Reginald Velasco said Thursday.

"We received this note [from her office] that she won't be attending this SONA," Velasco told reporters.

Still, Velasco said the House remains prepared to receive the Vice President should she change her mind.

He said aside from a reserved seat, there will be a designated holding room for the Vice President and her immediate staff since she is considered as an institutional guest alongside heads of government agencies and justices of the Supreme Court.

"We are not excluding the possibility that she will attend," Velasco said.

"There will be a seat for her reserved at the center of the [House plenary] gallery, the VIP gallery. If she decides to come, there will be a seat for her," he added.

He further said a holding room will also be prepared for the Vice President and her staff as they what they have done in the past.

2025 marks the second straight year that the Vice President will miss the SONA.

Last year, the Vice President also skipped the President's SONA by saying that she is appointing herself as the designated survivor.

Her statement drew flak since a popular US and South Korean series titled Designated Survivor is a story about a Cabinet official who is a designated survivor and thus skipping the State of the Union address, only for all the rest of those present in the address to be killed in a bomb explosion.

Marcos and Duterte formed the Uniteam and resoundingly won the 2022 elections over their rivals. Their relationship, however, has gone sour. 

The House of Representatives impeached the Vice President in February over allegations of confidential fund misuse and making threats to kill the President and his family.

Ex-Pres. Duterte invited

Velasco said former President Rodrigo Duterte will also be invited even though he is not expected to attend. The former president is currently detained in The Hague, the Netherlands.

“He is not here, no? And I'm sure he will not be able to attend. We're talking about physical presence kasi,” he said.

“We will send the customary invitation which we will send to former presidents, former vice presidents, former Senate presidents, and former speakers,” he added.

When asked where the invitation for the former president will be sent, Velasco replied, “Maybe sa Davao kasi he is the elected mayor. Unless that's altered, the official address is still either the home or the Office of the Mayor in Davao City.”

As a member of the House of Representatives, Davao City 1st district Rep Paolo Duterte is also invited but is not required to confirm attendance until he assumes his post as a member of the 20th Congress on June 30.

“Yung mga congressman kasi, we don't expect them to confirm until maybe next month because hindi pa tapos 'yung 19th Congress. Officially, the 20th Congress, the term of the members will start on June 30, noon time. So maybe they are still awaiting for their assumption of office before they confirm,” Velasco said.

“But in our invitation, there is a request for the name of his or her invitee. They will be entitled to one companion who will be seated at the second gallery. Usually, it will be reserved for the spouses of the senators and the spouses of congressmen,” he added.

Velasco also said the guest list is being finalized as the House is still waiting for the final lists from the Senate and the Office of the President.

So far, Velasco said, more than 200 guests have already confirmed their attendance to the SONA. —AOL, GMA Integrated News