Imee Marcos, other Duterte-allied senators to sit out Marcos' SONA
Senator Imee Marcos and other Duterte-allied senators have announced they will boycott President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s State of the Nation Address. The protest is in response to the ongoing prosecution and detention of members of their political bloc.
Why it matters
This public boycott highlights deep-seated political fractures within the Philippine government and the ruling family.
MANILA, Philippines - Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano and Senator Imee Marcos will snub President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s fifth State of the Nation Address on Monday, July 27, protesting what they see as the jailing and prosecution of their bloc.
Both minority senators wore black to the Senate session hours before the speech. Senators Pia Cayetano and Loren Legarda also turned up in black in their apparel.
"Masama ang loob namin dahil pinakukulong, kinakasuhan ang minority," Marcos told reporters in an ambush interview. "Yun lang, parang... Hindi ko kaya eh."
(We feel bad because the minority is being jailed and charged. That's it, it's like... I can't take it.)
Cayetano said he preferred to watch the address on television. "Baka mas komportable din 'yung administrasyon that way, and it's my simple way of protesting pati sa pag bla-black," he said.
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