Several members of the Senate minority bloc will skip President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, saying they are protesting the detention and prosecution of opposition lawmakers.
Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano and Senator Imee Marcos confirmed they would not attend the President’s address at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City.
Imee Marcos said Senators Loren Legarda, Pia Cayetano, and Robinhood Padilla also decided not to physically attend the SONA.
“Papakinggan ‘yun nga lang, masama ang loob namin kasi pinagkukulong, kinakasuhan ang minority. ‘Yun lang, parang di ko kaya,” Imee Marcos told reporters.
She clarified that there was no coordinated boycott among the senators.
“Nagtanungan lang kami ngayon. Walang usapan na mag-itim, na ‘di sisipot,” she said.
This is the second straight year that Imee Marcos will skip her brother’s SONA after also missing the annual address in 2025.
There was no immediate confirmation on whether Senators Mark Villar and Camille Villar would attend the event.
Meanwhile, Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcoleta remain detained over separate plunder cases.
In a separate interview, Alan Peter Cayetano described his absence as a “simple way of protesting.”
“Mas preference ko siguro panoorin na lang sa TV. Baka mas komportable din yung administrasyon that way and it’s my simple way of protesting,” he said.
Cayetano also expressed concern over the state of democracy, saying critics of the government have become targets of legal action.
President Marcos is scheduled to deliver his fifth State of the Nation Address on Monday afternoon at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City.
