BINATIKOS ni San Jose del Monte Rep. Rida Robes ang “masamang biro” ni Vice President Sara Duterte na ideklara ang kanyang sarili na “designated survivor” sa mistulang pagtatangka na i-boycott ang 2024 State of the Nation Address (SONA).
Bilang tugon sa deklarasyon ni Duterte bilang self-appointed designated survivor sa SONA ni Presidente Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., sinabi ni Rep. Robes na, “it is not a bomb joke, but a bad joke, done in poor taste that one would expect from a Marites, and not from the second highest official of the land.”
Binigyang-diin ni Rep. Robes na “tradition dictates that she should be there. Etiquette requires her to be there.”
Binatikos din ng mambabatas ang kawalan ng decorum ng Bise Presidente, at sinabing “decorum does not require her to applaud the President’s speech, but to appear in Congress when it is delivered.”
“There have been many instances in the past when the President and Vice President came from opposing parties, but disagreements are shelved aside for a day when the President renders an accounting of the state of the nation,” ani Rep. Robes.
“Boycotting the SONA is not bravery. It is cowardice. Skipping it is not sending a strong statement. It is injecting politics in an event where the people expect all their leaders , the entire officialdom, to be present for a constitutionally ordained event,” dagdag pa niya.
Nagpahayag din ng pagdududa si Rep. Robes sa umano’y kawalan ng professionalism ng Bise Presidente, at sinabing dapat niyang tularan ang kanyang predecessor.
“She should follow VP Leni’s example, who made it a point to attend the SONA, in a hall teeming with Duterte stalwarts,” sabi ni Rep. Robes.
“President Duterte cursed everybody but he did not utter a single bad word about her Vice President, out of respect of the office VP Leni held. President BBM, ever the gentleman, will do the same, and in fact, would do better than her father, by praising her,” aniya.