Marcos won't tolerate if Senate rift drags on until SONA 2026

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. will not tolerate the ongoing tensions at the Senate should it drag on until his 2026 State of the Nation Address (SONA) before Congress next month, Malacañang said Thursday.

Palace Press Officer Usec. Claire Castro said this in a press conference as she admitted that the upheaval at the upper chamber may affect the messaging of the President for his upcoming SONA.

"Maaaring maapektuhan. Pero ang Pangulo po ay tutok pa rin sa kanyang mga adhikain, sa kanyang mga nais na i-push na mga bills para sa taong bayan," she said,

(It may be affected. But the President is still focused on his goals, on the bills he wants to get passed into law for the people.)

"Ito ay magiging suliranin na lamang, magiging problema na lamang ito ng Senado. So dapat talaga umaksyon kung sino ang dapat na authority, umaksyon sa Senado," she added.

(This will only become a problem for the Senate. So whoever is the authority should really take action in the Senate.)

Session in Congress is set to resume on July 27, coinciding with Marcos' fifth SONA.

Castro also reacted to the tussle between Senator Robin Padilla and Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla earlier on Thursday.

"Umayos kayo (Get your acts together)," she said.

The jostle between Padilla and Remulla happened at the Senate earlier in the day as a group of 18 men identifying themselves as former Marines entered the premises as resource persons at a Blue Ribbon Committee hearing presided over by Senator Pia Cayetano.

UN Security Council

Meanwhile, Malacañang also expressed belief that the current situation in the Senate affected the Philippines' bid to secure a non-permanent seat in the United Nations (UN) Security Council.

"Yes, lahat ng political noise, lahat ng political tensions, nakakaapekto. Ito at ito ang nakikita ng buong bayan at buong mundo sa impresyon dito sa Pilipinas," Castro said.

(Yes, all the political noise, all the political tensions have an effect. This is the impression of the entire nation and the whole world on the Philippines.)

"So, nagiging negatibo dahil sa mga ingay na ito na karamihan naman ay mga obstructionist," she added.

(Our image becomes negative because of these noises, most of which are coming from obstructionists.)

The Philippines failed in its bid to attain a seat in the UN Security Council (UNSC) as a non-permanent member.

Zimbabwe, Austria, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, and Kyrgyzstan were named new members of the UNSC, which can issue legally binding resolutions that may include military action, economic sanctions, and deployment of peacekeeping operations. — VDV, GMA News