Sara Duterte getting invited to the Sona? Adiong sees no problem at all

Vice President Sara Duterte — Inquirer photo by Grig C. Montegrande

MANILA, Philippines — Lanao del Sur 1st District Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong sees no problem with Vice President Sara Duterte being invited to the upcoming State of the Nation Address (Sona), noting that the event is really for the people.

Adiong during a press briefing on Tuesday was asked about House of Representatives Secretary General Reginald Velasco’s recent pronouncements that Duterte will still be invited to the Sona despite the official’s past threats to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez.

According to Adiong, it is prudent for the House — which hosts the Sona — to extend an invitation to Duterte.

“She’s the second-highest official of the land and I think it’s a matter of policy, not only just a policy that we want to promote, but as a matter of protocol also that she represents the institution, a very much important institution for that matter.  So it’s right and it’s proper and it’s prudent that the House of Representatives extends an invitation to the Vice President to attend the Sona,” Adiong said.

“The Sona is actually for the people and not for any public officials.  So as elected representatives of our people, we have to rise above from the petty or from the political differences that we might find ourselves in, and be public officials for the people,” he added.

Rise above political differences

Adiong also noted that as public servants, they should rise above political differences to hear the President’s report, noting that in the past, there were people who criticized the sitting president but still attended the Sona so that they can gauge the government’s performance.

“Regardless whether we have major differences or disagreements, or regardless of whether there’s a pending impeachment […] trial in the Senate, we should set aside these political squabbles.  This actually calls for our mandate as public servants, public officials — elected public officials for that matter — to show that we are after all serving one country,” Adiong said.

“Even in the past if you have noticed there are senators attending the Sona who are not allies of the sitting president.  Once they get out of the plenary, they talk about what they think was not right in the president’s speech.  For me the Sona should be non-partisan, we are there as elected public officers.  We are not there to represent our political parties,” he added.

On Monday, Velasco told reporters covering the House that they have started preparations for Marcos’ fourth Sona, which will be held on July 28.  Part of the preparations is the finalization of the guest list — which will still include Duterte.

READ: House in final stages of preparations for Sona, says Velasco

Duterte has openly feuded with Marcos, her running mate during the 2022 national elections.

“Just like all the other participating agencies, all will be given a formal invitation that will be sent to all these guests, including the VP.  So we’re not discounting the possibility that the Vice President may decide to attend […] We are preparing for that eventuality,” Velasco said.

“There’s none,” he added when asked if there will be special preparations for Duterte.  “Well you know the seating arrangement will be based on the protocol, so she’ll be seated in the VIP section, in the middle of the plenary, so if she attends, she will be seated there, and then the officials with her will be given the usual seats given to their senior staff,” he added.

Friction between Marcos and Duterte

Friction between Marcos and Duterte intensified in June 2024, when the Vice President relinquished her cabinet post at the Department of Education.  When asked if she will be attending Marcos’ Sona in 2024, Duterte said she will not, as she will be appointing herself as the “designated survivor.”

READ: A first: Sara to skip Marcos’ Sona, names self ‘designated survivor’

Several netizens then called out Duterte as they asked if being a designated survivor was a veiled threat, because it seemed to imply that something wrong might happen to the country’s leaders who would attend the Sona.

Under the line of succession in the Philippines, the vice president will succeed a sitting president if the latter becomes incapacitated or dies.  Other possible successors after the vice president includes the Senate President and the House Speaker — both of which are also inside the Batasang Pambansa plenary during the Sona.

Lawmakers like Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. and Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua said that Duterte’s statements made light of the President’s security, and that it was done in poor taste.

Eventually, Duterte was criticized again for claiming in November 2024 that she had talked to someone about killing Romualdez, Marcos, and First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos if she gets assassinated.