Not yet confirmed if Duterte will deliver SONA from Batasan
Malacañang said Thursday there is no confirmation yet if President Duterte will deliver his fifth State-of-the-Nation Address (SoNA) at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City but reiterated that the venue of the President's speech should not really be an issue.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque made the statement after Senate President Tito Sotto said that Duterte will deliver his SoNA at the Batasang Pambansa on July 27.

(OPS / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)
Roque said it was not sure if Duterte will be physically present at the Batasang Pambasnsa during his SoNA.
"The venue is confirmed, it is Batasan. Pero ang alam ko po, hindi pa po 100 percent sure kung physically mag-a-attend ang Presidente or magbo-broadcast po from Malago to Congress (But it's not yet sure if he will physically attend or will just deliver his speech from Malago in Malacañang and will just be broadcast in Congress)," he said.
Roque said the location of Duterte's address should not be an issue.
"Sa mula't mula naman po talagang ang venue talagang ay Batasang Pambansa. Ang issue lang kung dadalong personal ang Presidente (From the very beginning the venue is really Batasang Pambansa. The issue is if the President will be there personally)," he said.
Malacañang has floated the idea of Duterte delivering his SoNA at the Batasang Pambansa before a limited number of lawmakers or through video conference from Malacañang.
Last week, Roque said that the possibility of Duterte delivering an online SoNA would be a "safe fallback" amid quarantine restrictions.
He added that the Constitution does not actually specify the place where the President should deliver his annual address to the nation.
The President is constitutionally mandated to deliver his SoNA before Congress at the opening of its regular session every fourth Monday of July. He is to report on the state of the country, his administration's plans for the coming year, and list down proposed legislative measures.
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