Will VP Sara, First Lady Liza be seatmates again during SONA 2024?
At A Glance
- Who will Vice President Sara Duterte sit next to at the House plenary hall, should she choose to attend this year's State of the Nation Address (SONA)?
- This has become a point of interest following the apparent falling out between Vice President Duterte and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos last summer.
First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (Facebook)
Who will Vice President Sara Duterte sit next to at the House plenary hall, should she choose to attend this year's State of the Nation Address (SONA)?
This has become a point of interest following the apparent falling out between Vice President Duterte and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos last summer.
The two were seatmates during President Marcos' second SONA at the House of Representatives on July 24, 2023.
House Secretary-General Reginald Velasco confirmed to reporters Monday, July 1 that a SONA invite had already been sent to Duterte--the country’s second highest-ranked official.
Asked if she was among those who have confirmed their attendance to the event, Velasco said: "Hindi, hindi ko pa alam (No, I don't know yet)."
"I'll have to check that. But, these are traditional invitees, no? All the heads of the Constitutional Commissions, all, ah, cabinet officials, ah, well, including the Vice President," he added.
At any rate, Velasco says that the seating arrangement of the attendees to the SONA, particularly the officials and VIPs (very important persons), is determined by an inter-agency body.
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"Well, it will be decided by the interagency, no? I'm not alone here. Ah, we have an inter-agency committee, ah, wherein the Office of the President and the Senate counterparts are there. So, we will decide on that, the seating plan for the VIPs," he said.
It was last April when Araneta-Marcos vented her sentiments against Vice President Duterte in a media interview. The latter merely brushed off the First Lady's remarks.
Last June 19, Vice President Duterte personally tendered her resignation as Department of Education (DepEd) secretary. This marked her exit from the Marcos Cabinet.
President Marcos will deliver his third SONA at the House of Representatives on July 22.