Senator Imee Marcos and three Duterte-aligned senators—Bong Go, Ronald Dela Rosa, and Robinhood Padilla—skipped President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA), citing various reasons, including protest and prior commitments.
Imee said she had a scheduled outreach program for students affected by Tropical Storm Crising and criticized the SONA for being filled with unrelatable data and vague promises.
Padilla explained his absence as a protest against the International Criminal Court’s arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte, while Go claimed he still intended to monitor the President’s report.
Dela Rosa offered no reason for skipping the event.
Meanwhile, in the House, Rep. Paolo Duterte and the “Davao bloc” walked out of the speakership vote, calling the chamber a “political circus” and vowing to join the minority bloc in protest.
Source: PhilNews24 | July 29, 2025
