MANILA – Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa said on Thursday, July 17, that he will not attend President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 28, stating that he no longer wants to “pretend” or engage in “plastic” interactions with people he is upset with.
“I don’t want to pretend. I mean, it would look bad if I went there frowning, right? But it would also be wrong if I went there smiling as if nothing’s wrong when I’m upset with them,” Dela Rosa said in a phone interview with reporters.
“Should I pretend and put on an act with those congressmen I’m upset with? Not all of them, but there are some congressmen I have issues with, and also some people in Malacañang I’m not happy with. So why should I fake it?” he added, emphasizing that attending the event would feel insincere on his part.
Dela Rosa stressed that his decision to skip the SONA is purely personal and that his colleagues from the Duterte bloc are free to decide for themselves whether they will attend.
When asked about his expectations from the SONA, Dela Rosa said he expects Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin to stand by his earlier statement that the senator would be treated the same way as former President Rodrigo Duterte should the International Criminal Court (ICC) issue a warrant of arrest related to the previous administration’s drug war.
“I expect that Secretary Bersamin will insist on what he said,” he remarked in jest.
The senator, however, clarified that he no longer has any real expectations from the current administration.
“I no longer have any expectations from this government. I’m just hoping. I don’t want to rely on them or expect anything. I’m only hoping that they’ll focus on improving life in the Philippines,” he said.
“That’s all I’m holding on to—just hope. Expectation is different, and hope (pag-asa in Tagalog) is different. Expectation is inaasahan; hope is pag-asa,” he added, underscoring the difference between hope and expectation.
Meanwhile, Vice President Sara Duterte is also set to skip Marcos’ SONA as she will be traveling to South Korea for a “Free Duterte Rally” scheduled a day before the event.