Arroyo attends opening of session but will skip SONA

Former President and incumbent Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was present during the opening of the House of Representatives’ second regular session on Monday morning but will skip President Benigno Aquino III’s second State of the Nation Address later this afternoon. Arroyo was among the 261 congressmen who were present when House Secretary General Marilyn Baura-Yap called the roll at around 10:00 a.m. Monday. However, Arroyo will skip Aquino’s SONA later in the afternoon to proceed to her hometown, Lubao, to interact with her constituents, one of her spokespersons said. “She attended the opening of the session, pero mamayang hapon, she’d rather meet with his constituents in Pampanga than listen to the President’s state of no accomplishment report," Arroyo’s legal spokesperson Raul Lambino said in a phone interview.

Arroyo’s allies in the House of Representatives had earlier advised her not to attend Aquino’s SONA where the President might make snide remarks against his predecessor. Last year, Arroyo also did not show up during the President’s first SONA since she accompanied her husband, former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, to Hong Kong for a medical check up. The House and the Senate will hold a joint session at 3 p.m. Monday to hear Aquino’s second SONA, where he is expected to focus on his anti-corruption drive’s accomplishments, as well as outline his plans for social transformation. -VVP, GMA News