VP: 'Designated survivor' neither a joke nor bomb threat

After her remarks about skipping President Marcos’ State of the Nation Address (SONA) were construed as a threat by some quarters, Vice President Sara Duterte clarified yesterday that she was neither joking nor making a bomb threat when she said she was appointing herself the “designated survivor.”

- NEIL JAYSON SERVALLOS

“It wasn’t a joke. It wasn’t a bomb threat. For me, if you don’t understand the first time, I don’t think you deserve an explanation,” Duterte told reporters in a mix of Visayan and English during the Brigada Eskwela National Kickoff.

The remarks were made last week when Duterte said she would skip President Marcos’ SONA, a first since the pair ascended to power after their team-up scored a landslide victory in 2022.