Ex-President Arroyo to attend Aquino's 2nd SONA

Former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will attend the second State of the Nation Address (SONA) of her successor Benigno Aquino III on July 25. Mrs. Arroyo's spokesperson Elena Bautista-Horn said the former Philippine leader, who left for Spain Wednesday, plans to come home in time for the SONA, radio dzBB reported Thursday. Horn said Mrs. Arroyo was not able to attend Aquino's first SONA last year because she accompanied her husband Jose Miguel to Hong Kong for medical treatment at the time. In his first SONA, Aquino had bared several "abuses" of the Arroyo administration, including alleged excessive allowances in some government-owned and controlled corporations. But last weekend, Mrs. Arroyo fired her first salvo at Aquino, questioning his leadership and chiding him for not building on the economic gains of her administration. Her criticisms triggered a tweet war between her ally, Rep. Mitos Magsaysay, and deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte last weekend. Aquino is scheduled to deliver his second SONA on July 25 before a joint session of Congress at the Batasan Complex in Quezon City. Mrs. Arroyo is now a member of the House of Representatives, representing the second district of Pampanga. — LBG, GMA News