THE City Government of Davao canceled its weekly flag-raising ceremony on Monday morning, July 22, 2024, at City Hall Drive due to bad weather.
Melody C. Herrera, officer-in-charge of the Human Resource Management Office, informed the media that the cancellation was due to drizzle, not the upcoming State of the Nation Address (Sona) by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
According to a weather update from the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) at 8:15 a.m. on Monday, July 22, Davao City was experiencing cloudy skies with chances of isolated thunderstorms.
On the same day, President Marcos was scheduled to deliver his third Sona at 4 p.m. at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City. He stated that he would highlight his administration’s efforts to uplift the lives of Filipinos, improve the economy, address criminality, and tackle other social problems in the Philippines.
Previously, on July 11, 2024, Vice President Sara Duterte announced at Brokenshire Medical Center in Madapo Hills, Davao City, that she would not attend this year’s SONA and had appointed herself as the designated survivor. A designated survivor is the person chosen to lead the government in the event of a catastrophic event at the Capitol.
The Vice President stated that she would not watch the Sona on TV or any gadgets. She added that she is currently in Bohol and empathizing with the Boholanos for the death of their vice governor.
“It is also Bohol Day today, which makes it an opportune time for the Vice President to bring a message of hope– na may Diyos na nagbabantay sa atin, at sa pamamagitan ng pagtutulungan at pagsisikap, magagawa nating ayusin ang Bayan muli,” she said in her statement that was posted on Valiente News.
Earlier, the vice president had also resigned as Education secretary on June 19.
It can be recalled that Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte had said on January 28 during the Hakbang sa Maisug rally that Marcos should resign. He argued that if the president truly loved or aspired for the Philippines, he should step down.
During the same event, Former President Rodrigo Duterte repeatedly called Marcos a “drug addict”. In his speech, the elder Duterte criticized his successor’s administration for pushing for Charter Change through a People’s Initiative, which aims to amend the 1987 Constitution by paying the public in exchange for their signatures. RGP
