Netflix Designated Survivor poster (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (Noel Pabalate/ MANILA BULLETIN)

Netflix shouldn't be used as basis for things that a high--ranking government official does or doesn't do. 

Thus, said Camiguin lone district Rep. Jurdin Jesus Romualdo in a statement Friday, July 12 as he chided Vice President Sara Duterte for her supposed reason for skipping the State of the Nation Address (SONA) later this month. 

"Vice President Sara Duterte should be more cautious with what she says. After all, she is still a public official, and Netflix is not a good basis for her actions or inactions," the Mindanao lawmaker said. 

The Vice President announced that she wouldn't be attending President Marcos' third SONA this coming July 22 at Batasan Pambansa Complex, home of the House of Representatives. 

She claimed that she was the 'designated survivor" of the event, which was a reference to a once-popular Netflix thriller that ran from 2016 to 2019. Kiefer Sutherland top-billed the series.

Through her joke, Vice President Duterte implied that she is the desired survivor should disaster strike the SONA and result to the death of high-ranking officials there. 

"Does she have a premonition of the things to come? She should refrain from watching too much Netflix. Her joke could have been better handled given that all high-ranking officials of the land would be there," Romualdo said. 

"In the decades worth of SONAs that we've had, nobody has ever flaunted being the 'designated survivor' and used it as the excuse to skip the important event. Proper decorum and tradition say that the Vice President should be there in plenary at Batasan to hear the good President's report to the nation," he said. 

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"This is among the political instances that take a backseat to transparency and unbridled communication with the public. Vice President Duterte's predecessors did this with no issue while in office. One would think that she would also strive to achieve that standard," he added. 

President Marcos will deliver his SONA before a joint session of Congress. Local and foreign dignitaries are expected to grace the event. 

House Speaker Martin Romualdez has said that the SONA is crucial for unity and collaboration among the nation’s leaders. The Vice President will miss this opportunity if she chooses not to attend, he noted.