VP Sara Duterte says Marcos' SONA 2026 'a waste of time of the Filipino people'

Vice President Sara Duterte on Tuesday said the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. was "a waste of time of the Filipino people."

"Hindi ako nanood ng SONA like last year. And wala akong planong basahin ang nilalaman ng SONA o kahit man lang summary dahil I truly believe it is a waste of time of the Filipino people," Duterte said in an interview conducted in The Hague, Netherlands after she visited her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte who is detained at the International Criminal Court.

(I did not watch SONA like last year. And I don't have any plan to read what's in the SONA or even its summary because I truly believe it is a waste of time of the Filipino people.)

Marcos delivered his SONA at 4 p.m. on Monday at the joint session of Congress held at Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City.

In his SONA, Marcos called on both chambers of Congress to amend the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) to put a stop to systems loss charges, including an accompanying value-added tax (VAT), from being passed on to consumers, among other items he addressed.

READ: SONA 2026: Full text of President Marcos Jr.'s 5th State of the Nation Address

Marcos also said that the Ombudsman will soon file charges against his cousin, former Speaker and Leyte Representative Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, regarding his alleged involvement in anomalous flood control projects.

Duterte however said the public should not count on what Marcos said that charges will be filed against Romualdez.

GMA News is trying to get the comment of Malacañang regarding the matter.

The vice president was invited to attend the SONA but she is on a trip abroad from July 16 to 31, according to the Office of the Vice President.

Two things

Duterte also took a swipe at Marcos, saying he did not fulfill his promises.

"Dalawa lang ang hiningi ko eh nu'ng pumayag ako na tumakbo ka-tandem niya bilang kanyang vice president. 'Yung isa du'n, buwan pa lang, hindi na niya sinunod. Wala pang one year. Isa lang 'yon," she said.

(I asked only for two things when I agreed to be his tandem mate as his vice president. One of those, he did not fulfill, just months [after he was elected]. Not even a year. That's just one.)

"Related lang 'yon sa pakiusap ko sa kanya sa kailangan kong gawin gabi-gabi para sa aking mga anak kasi bata pa 'yung mga anak ko. Wala siyang...Hindi niya tinupad," Duterte said.

(It was related to my appeal to him regarding what I should do every night for my children because they are still young. He had no...He did not fulfill [his promise].)

"Sige, sabihin na natin personal 'yan eh. Puwede naman hindi tuparin 'yan no. Fine. Du'n tayo sa bente (pesos) ang (kilo ng) bigas. Tinupad ba o hindi? May makukulong before Christmas. Tinupad ba o hindi?" the vice president continued.

(Okay, so we can say that's personal. It can be not fulfilled. Fine. But let's go to the [promise of] P20 per kilo of rice. Did he fulfill that or not? Someone will be put in jail before Christmas. Was this fulfilled or not?)

"So bakit pa kayo naniniwala...," Duterte said.

(So why are you still believing...)

Ratings in surveys

Asked about her good ratings in recent surveys such as those conducted by Social Weather Stations (SWS) and Pulse Asia, Duterte said she feels "truly blessed."

"On that point I am truly blessed. Favored ako ng Diyos sa ganyan na bagay," the vice president said.

(I am favored by God in those things.)

"Hindi ako makapag-explain sa mga surveys dahil hindi ko naman alam paano 'yan ginawa o kung sino ang nagpagawa niyan," she said.

(I cannot explain about surveys because I don't know how these were done or who asked that these be conducted.)

"Pero lagi lang talaga ang sinasabi ko 'pag merong survey na lumalabas ay nagpapasalamat ako sa patuloy na pagtitiwala ng ating mga kababayan sa akin, sa aking mga kasamahan sa OVP, at siyempre sa aming opisina," Duterte added.

(But I always say every time a survey comes out that I am grateful for our countrymen's continued trust in me, in my colleagues at the OVP [Office of the Vice President], and of course in our office.)

A survey conducted recently by SWS after being commissioned by Stratbase Group showed that the trust rating of Marcos declined to 34% while Duterte’s trust rating was stable at 57%.

Meanwhile, a Pulse Asia survey conducted in July showed Duterte had a trust rating of 58% while her distrust rating was 27%. Marcos' figures on the other hand were 28% (trust rating) and 51% (distrust rating).

2028 elections

In the same interview, Duterte urged Filipinos to remain vigilant and involved in national issues, saying she is uncertain whether the country will still hold elections in 2028.

She claimed that the country was moving toward a “dictatorship” under the current administration.

“Dapat tayo mapagmatyag, dapat tayo makialam dahil sinabi ko na nga noon, we do not know if we still have a country by 2028. And at the rate that this dictatorship is going, we do not even know if there will be elections on the 2028,” Duterte said.

(We must remain vigilant and get involved because, as I have said before, we do not know if we will still have a country by 2028.)

She also urged Filipinos to continue praying while also taking part in public discourse.

“Unang-una, dasal. Tapos pangalawa, kailangan talaga tayo makilahok, makialam, pumuna sa ginagawa ng administration,” she said.

(First, we should pray. Second, we must participate, get involved, and criticize what the administration is doing.)

July 29 rally outside ICC in The Hague

The vice president also highlighted that her supporters will hold a rally outside the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, the Netherlands, on July 29 to call for the release of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

She said the gathering, dubbed the “Free Duterte Now” rally, aims to protest what supporters believe was an injustice committed against the former president.

“Meron tayong rally sa Wednesday, July 29 sa harap ng ICC. And this is a Free Duterte Now rally and we will talk about the injustice that was done to President Rodrigo Duterte,” she said.

The vice president noted that she informed her father about the planned demonstration but also cautioned him that it might not help his case before the ICC.

“Pinaalam ko ito kay President Duterte at sinabi ko sa kanya na I do not think this will help your case."

According to Duterte, the former president initially questioned the purpose of the rally.

“He said, ‘Bakit pa kayo mag-rally? What for?’ Sabi ko, para lang mailabas namin ang galit namin at marinig ng buong mundo ang galit ng mga Pilipino sa ginawa sa iyo,” she said.

(He asked, “Why hold a rally? What for?” I told him it was to express our anger and let the world hear the anger of Filipinos over what was done to you.)

Duterte then added that her father eventually left the decision to his supporters despite her warning that the protest would likely have no bearing on the ICC proceedings. —with a report from Sherylin Untalan/KG, GMA News