Sara to skip Marcos’ SONA for second year

For the second consecutive year, Vice President Sara Duterte will skip the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., her former political ally, according to the House of Representatives.

House Secretary General Reginald Velasco confirmed on Thursday that Duterte formally declined the House's invitation to attend the 28 July event, which is traditionally reserved for top government officials, diplomats, judiciary members, and former leaders.

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

Despite her official non-attendance, Velasco said the House will still prepare accommodations in case the Vice President changes her mind at the last minute.

"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 and her immediate staff,” he added.

No reason was given for Duterte’s decision to skip the SONA, and so far, she is the only top official to decline the invitation. “All the rest, we have received positive indications that they are coming,” Velasco said.

Duterte also missed Marcos’ SONA last year, declaring herself as the “designated survivor,” a reference to a U.S. practice where a Cabinet member is kept away from the State of the Union Address to preserve the presidential line of succession in case of a catastrophic event. The explanation stirred backlash from several House members, many of whom later became vocal critics of the Vice President.

Once a powerful tandem under the 2022 Uniteam alliance, Marcos and Duterte enjoyed a landslide victory and a period of political dominance. But by 2024, cracks in their alliance had grown irreparable, culminating in Duterte’s public declaration that they had reached a “point of no return.”

Preparations are already underway for Marcos’ fourth SONA, with the Philippine National Police deploying enhanced security measures around the Batasang Pambansa complex. The annual SONA is held every fourth Monday of July and marks the formal opening of a new congressional session.