President Rodrigo Duterte will be physically present at the Batasang Pambansa when he delivers his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 27, Malacañang said on Monday. “I can confirm for the first time that the President will be physically present at the Batasan [on July 27],” Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said in a virtual briefing. Metro Manila’s Quezon City, where the Batasang Pambansa is located, is under general community quarantine. Roque cited a Quezon City ordinance limiting to 10 the number of people who could gather and rally against the government at a time. The Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa also on Monday called on the protesters to hold their gathering against the SONA online.

Source: Manila Times July 20, 2020 16:30 UTC