Pampanga 3rd district Rep. Aurelio "Dong" Gonzales Jr. (Facebook)

Senior Deputy Speaker Pampanga 3rd district Rep. Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr. says that Vice President Sara Duterte’s joke that something fatal might happen to President Marcos during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 22 "warrants an investigation". 

The high-ranking House of Representatives official had this to say Friday, July 11, or a day after the Vice President joked that she was the "designated survivor" and thus won't attend the SONA at the Batasang Pambansa Complex. 

For Gonzales, implying that something bad awaits the President "is a very serious matter that warrants an investigation".
 
“It’s a very bad joke. It leaves a bad taste in the mouth, especially coming from a very popular VP who garnered a resounding 32 million votes in the last presidential elections. It’s the highest vote for an elected official, in our history books,” Gonzales said.  
 
“Matagal na tayong nagpe-prepare sa Big One, iyung earthquake lalo sa SONA na nandito sa Batasan ang matataas na mga lider ng bansa tapos ngayon may designated survivor pala na pang-Netflix si VP,” he said. 

(We've long been preparing for the earthquake, the Big One, especially during the SONA here in Batasan where the high-ranking officials of the country will gather, and now the VP says she's the designated survivor a la Netflix.) 

“There’s no such thing as ‘Designated Survivor in the Philippines! Is she spending too much time watching Netflix? She better read our constitution. It’s as clear as sunlight,” Gonzales said. 
 

ALSO READ:

https://mb.com.ph/2024/7/11/romualdez-vp-duterte-to-miss-crucial-opportunity-if-she-skips-sona

He says the last thing that Filipinos need in this crucial stage is to be "threatened with such wild insinuations of seeming explosion, like the popular livestreaming Netflix series where all US officials, led by their President, were killed when he delivered his annual national address".
 
“This is unnecessary and uncalled for – to say the least. The VP is creating or wreaking havoc to the general public. She’s alarming the people. The SONA is a yearly official and formal event that needs respect, most especially from elected officials like her,” Gonzales explained further.   

“She should be more circumspect and responsible in her utterances, owing to her title and the high office that she represents,” he said of the Vice President.