On President Duterte’s fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA), Vice President Leni Robredo will not be physically present at Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City.
(OVP / Facebook / File Photo / MANILA BULLETIN)
Speaking on her Sunday radio show, Robredo said she will attend Duterte’s annual address to the nation virtually on Monday, July 27.
“Hindi ako imbitado sa House of Representatives. Na-receive namin na invitation ay Zoom so iyon ang pupuntahan ko (I’m not invited in the House of Representatives. The invitation I received is via Zoom so that’s what I will attend),” she said.
This will be the first time Robredo will not be physically present at the Batasan complex after her consistent appearance in the past SONAs.
Although she is not among the invited guests, the vice president said she will join virtually because it is her “obligation” to do so.
There will be only a limited number of people who can attend this year’s SONA to minimize Duterte’s risk of exposure to the novel coronavirus.
The guests will be subjected to mandatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for COVID-19 before the event at a hospital in Quezon City.
Robredo said she expects to hear Duterte’s plan specifically on how to contain the outbreak given the spike in the country’s COVID-19 cases.
“Gusto natin malaman sa SONA ano iyong planong matagal na nating tinatanong. Parang hindi kumpleto iyong napapanood natin sa weekly meetings (We want to know in the SONA the plans we have been asking for a long time. It seems those we watch during the weekly meetings are not complete),” she said.
Apart from the COVID-19 recovery plan, Robredo also wants to know from Duterte his administration’s accomplishments in the past year.