President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (2nd right) poses for photos with Archbishop Emeritus of Cotabato Orland Quevedo, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Audrey Tan-Zubiri, Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio and Sen. Imee Marcos after the  2nd State of the Nation Address on July 24, 2023. RTVM screengrab/fileMANILA — Will Vice President Sara Duterte and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos sit next to each other in this year’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., as they did in the last SONA?

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House Secretary General Reginald Velasco said it will be decided by the inter-agency committee working on the SONA seat plan. But for now, the seating arrangement for the VIPs have yet to be finalized.

“We have an interagency committee, wherein the Office of the President and the Senate counterparts are there. So, we will decide on that, the seating plan for the VIPs. As of now, wala pang decision,” Velasco told the media on Monday.

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In April, the First Lady admitted in an interview that her relationship with the Vice President soured after the latter’s family accused the President of using narcotics.

Araneta-Marcos said Vice President Duterte “crossed the line” by laughing along at comments made by his father, former President Rodrigo Duterte accusing Marcos Jr. of supposedly being a drug addict. Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte — the second in command’s younger brother — meantime, called for Marcos Jr.’s resignation.

Last month, Vice President Duterte resigned from Marcos Jr.’s Cabinet as Secretary of the Department of Education.

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The Vice President is among the over 2,000 guests who were sent invitation for the July 22, SONA, according to Velasco. 

He said around 60 to 70 percent of invitees have responded, but the House Secretary General has yet to confirm whether VP Duterte is among them.

“These are traditional invitees- all the heads of the Constitutional Commissions, all cabinet officials, well, including the Vice President,” he explained.

“We have received a lot of interest from all sectors government, private, NGOs to attend the SONA. So, we will try our best to accommodate all of them,” Velasco added.

“We have already sent the invitation and many have confirmed already. ‘Yun lang, we are arranging the seating plan. Because as I told the President, ang daming gustong um-attend nitong SONA na ito… I think we have sent about 2,000 plus,” he noted.

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The sitting capacity of the House of Representatives’ Session Hall, including gallery, is only at around 2,000, but additional rooms in the main building and in south wing annex will be opened to accommodate more guests. 

The renovation of the north and south lobbies of the Batasang Pambansa main building is also near completion. Enclosures have been built for these areas, and airconditioning systems have been installed. 

On Monday, the freshly washed and pressed giant flag was also re-installed at the Session Hall. 

As in previous SONAs, the Batasang Pambansa will be on lockdown the weekend before July 22. Only a select number of staff and employees will be allowed entry.

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