For President Rodrigo Duterte's final State of the Nation Address, Vice President Leni Robredo said she expects a "very honest" report on the Philippines' COVID-19 pandemic response.
Robredo, who said she would likely attend Duterte's last SONA via teleconferencing, expressed hopes that the President would be "very candid" about what the Filipino people can expect in the coming months in terms of government action on the pandemic.
"I expect the President to be very honest about the current state of the nation," Robredo said in an interview with ANC on Tuesday night.
"We're in the middle of a pandemic and we want to hear all the good things that we hope for but I think for people to be appeased -- kasi marami ngayon ang anxious, marami ang nagtatanong kailan ba ito matatapos -- it would help if the President would be honest about where we are as far as COVID response is concerned," she said.
Duterte is set to deliver his final SONA on Monday, July 26, at the Batasang Pambansa. Physical attendance to the President's address will be limited to those who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Robredo said she hopes the President would be a "calming voice" with all the anxiety caused by the pandemic, noting that words from the country's leader would "help tremendously."
"I would want the President to be very candid, hindi lang where we are [in terms of pandemic response] but what the government plans to do about it," she said.
The Philippines needs to vaccinate at least half of its 109 million people to achieve the government's target of "population protection" from COVID-19 by November.
As of July 18, some 4.7 million Filipinos have been fully vaccinated while some 10.3 million have received their first dose.
