MANILA, Philippines – Former President Rodrigo Duterte will be a no show at the State of the Nation Address of his successor President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday at the Batasang Pambansa.
Sen. Bong Go, Duterte’s most trusted aide, confirmed the latter’s absence hours ahead of Marcos’ third Sona.
“Nasa Davao eh,” Go told reporters in an ambush interview.
Last year, Go also told reporters that Duterte will not be present at the Sona because he was tired from his earlier visit to Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
The former state chief’s daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte has earlier announced her non-participation in this year’s SONA. In June, she announced her resignation from the Marcos cabinet as education secretary and vice chair of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) amid growing tensions between the Dutertes and the Marcoses.
Without citing any particular reason since they both assumed the highest and second highest positions. She instead said she is the “designated survivor” which gained various reactions, mostly negative on social media.
