Vice President Sara Duterte | PHOTO: Official Facebook apge of Inday Sara Duterte
MANILA, Philippines — Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III criticized on Saturday Vice President Sara Duterte’s “designated survivor” remark as a bad joke.
According to Pimentel, Duterte should not have made that joke in the context of the upcoming State of the Nation Address (Sona) of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
READ: A first: Sara to skip Marcos’ Sona, names self ‘designated survivor’
“She should not have done that in the context of Sona,” Pimentel said in a radio interview on DWIZ 882. “She should not have joked about that. That’s not a good joke.”
Earlier, Duterte said that she will not attend Marcos’s third Sona, and added that she was the “designated survivor.”
READ: ‘Reckless’: House solons slam VP Duterte’s ‘designated survivor’ remark
In some countries, a designated survivor is appointed to run the government in case an untoward incident affects the top government officials.
The Philippines does not have a similar law mandating a designated survivor.