Vice President Sara Duterte delivered her transition of power speech at the Department of Education Central Office on July 18, 2024.
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 3:57 p.m.) — Vice President Sara Duterte has indicated her intention not to watch President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s third State of the Union Address (SONA) even remotely.
In a statement posted by news organization Valiente News on Monday and shared on President Duterte’s official Facebook page, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) said the president is currently in Bohol. The Facebook post has since been deleted.
A Facebook post by Valiente News was re-shared by Vice President Sara Duterte’s official Facebook account, which has since been deleted.
Facebook/Inday Sara Duterte
OVP later posted a similar statement on its official Facebook page.
“The Vice President will not be watching the SONA on television or gadgets. She is currently in Bohol to commiserate with the death of the Vice Governor and to lift the national spirits raised by the suspension of a duly elected local official,” the statement said.
Bohol Vice Governor Dionisio Victor Balite passed away on July 17. He was 52 years old.
The Office of the Ombudsman has suspended Bohol Governor Alice Aumentado and 68 others in connection with the controversial Captain’s Peak Resort in the Chocolate Hills.
To recall, President Duterte told reporters last Thursday that he would be in attendance at the OVP in Manila during the Presidential SONA. Bohol media was the first to report President Duterte’s attendance before the OVP confirmed it in a statement.
President Duterte had previously distanced himself from the Marcos cabinet by resigning as secretary of education and as co-vice chair of the National Task Force to End the Communist Armed Conflict in the Philippines.
The Palace said Duterte did not give a reason for his resignation, but the vice president himself said it was in the interest of voters.
President Duterte recently drew attention by naming himself the “designated survivor,” a vague statement that some interpreted as a potential threat.
President Marcos is scheduled to deliver his third State of the Union address later this afternoon.
