Sara on skipping SONA: 'Nothing substantial'

Vice President Sara Duterte confirmed on Monday that she will not be attending President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s upcoming State of the Nation Address (SONA), citing a lack of substance in the President’s messaging.

“I do not intend to attend the State of the Nation Address of President Marcos since I don't think he will be providing anything substantial about our country,” Duterte said in an interview during a support rally with overseas Filipino workers in Melbourne, Australia. “It would be best to spend that time with the Filipino community discussing what we can do to improve the country.”

The vice president also skipped the SONA last year, calling herself the "designated survivor." Despite persistent political tensions, Duterte insisted she holds no personal grudge against Marcos but remains critical of his performance as chief executive.

“I have no ill feelings toward him with regard to the political persecution I am receiving from the administration. That is part of a politician's life,” she said. “But I have problems with his performance as president and the violations of our fundamental law—particularly the rendition of former President [Rodrigo] Duterte. That was an affront to Philippine sovereignty.”

Duterte, once Marcos’ running mate under the now-fractured “Uniteam” alliance, also accused the president of issuing “conflicting statements” and failing to deliver on campaign promises.

“He has the hallmark of a scammer,” she said. “Budol in English is scam, no? We are not surprised.”

Duterte also said that her office will be submitting its response to the Ombudsman "within the required period," as her impeachment trial looms.

Amid her mounting legal troubles, Duterte confirmed that her office had received a formal order from the Office of the Ombudsman to respond to allegations regarding the alleged misuse of confidential funds during her concurrent tenure as Vice President and Education Secretary.

The House of Representatives earlier filed a complaint involving ₱500 million in confidential funds under the Office of the Vice President and another ₱112.5 million from the Department of Education. Duterte said her legal team is already preparing the necessary response, which is due within 10 days of the Ombudsman’s 19 June order.

“Yes, we received the request to comment from the Ombudsman. My lawyers are preparing our answer and we will file it within the period required,” she said.

Duterte also said she has been anticipating an impeachment complaint since November 2023, when ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro first broached the possibility.

“The moment we heard Representative Castro mention impeachment, we started preparing. We hired lawyers in 2023,” she said.

Addressing questions about the nature of her Australian visit, Duterte dismissed allegations of using public funds for personal travel.

“I do not like traveling, except for holidays — and clearly, I am not on holiday. I’m here to talk to the Filipino community about ways forward for our country and how we can push the administration to do more,” she said.

Duterte underscored the role of overseas Filipino workers, saying their insights and global experience are invaluable.

“They’ve been sending billions of dollars back home. They also bring experience and knowledge of best practices from abroad. It’s only right that we sit down and hear their views,” she added.