Sara to skip SONA, says she's 'designated survivor'

(UPDATES) FOR the first time, Vice President Sara Duterte is skipping the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, and named herself as the country’s “designated survivor.”

“No. No, I will not attend the SONA. I am appointing myself as the designated survivor,” Duterte said in a chance interview with reporters in Davao City on Thursday.

A “designated survivor” is a term commonly used in the United States where a person in the presidential line of succession is kept distant to reduce the chance that everyone in the line of succession will be unable to take the presidency in a catastrophic or mass-casualty event.

Vice President Sara Duterte. Photo from Official Facebook Page of VP Inday Sara Duterte.

The term implies that Duterte would be the one taking over if a mass casualty event happens at the Batasang Pambansa at the time of the President’s SONA.

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The Manila Times has sent queries to the Office of the Vice President on whether Duterte was serious or joking.

House Secretary-General Reginald Velasco told The Times that they have yet to receive official confirmation from the Office of the Vice President over her decision not to attend the SONA.

“We have yet to receive official confirmation if she is not going to come. We are contacting her office about her decision,” Velasco said.

Speaker Martin Romualdez said that despite the absence of Duterte, the House of Representatives will remain committed to working with all branches of government to ensure that Marcos’ SONA will reflect the country’s “collective efforts to improve the lives of Filipinos.”

“The State of the Nation Address is a crucial moment for unity and collaboration among our nation’s leaders. It is a time to reflect on our progress, address challenges, and outline our vision for the future,” Romualdez added.

For Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua, Duterte’s joke on appointing herself as the “designated survivor” was done in bad taste considering the current political tensions between the two leaders.

“Strictly speaking, Vice President Sara Duterte does not have that appointing power for a designated survivor because it is the 1987 Constitution that designates the vice president as the first next in line to succeed the President,” Chua said.

Former Bayan Muna congressman Neri Colmenares, on the other hand, said that the nonattendance of Duterte in the SONA only confirms the big break between the Marcos and Duterte camps and the official end of the so-called “UniTeam.”

“UniTeam” was the moniker of the running mates in the 2022 elections.

“It has so many messages. One message is that she is not anymore convinced of the President’s report on SONA and secondly, she is completely breaking from any alliance that they have,” Colmenares said in Filipino during a chance interview with reporters on Thursday.

Kabataan Partylist Executive Vice President Renee Louise Co believes that Duterte is exhibiting “delusional behavior” and that skipping the SONA is just a “publicity stunt.”

Duterte’s announcement that she will not attend the SONA ended weeks of speculation after a public spat between her and first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos erupted a few months ago over her attendance at the “Hakbang ng Maisug” events, where former president Rodrigo Duterte alleged that the Chief Executive was high on drugs.

Duterte is set to end her term as education secretary on July 19, three days before the SONA, with Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara replacing her.

Presidential Adviser on Poverty Alleviation Larry Gadon expressed disgust over Duterte’s decision to stay away from the SONA.

“This is politically incorrect. She must have forgotten that she is the vice president of the country even if she resigned as education secretary and vice chair of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict,” Gadon said.

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