Several members of the Senate minority bloc will skip President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 27.

Senators Imee Marcos, Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Loren Legarda, and Robin Padilla will skip the SONA, which will be held at the House of Representatives in Quezon City, citing their protest over the detention and prosecution of opposition lawmakers.

Meanwhile, Senators Rodante Marcoleta and Jinggoy Estrada are currently detained, while Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa remains in hiding amid a looming arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The Cayetano siblings, along with Sen. Imee Marcos, were seen wearing black as they attended the Senate regular session on Monday.

Alan Cayetano confirmed that he would skip the President’s address and instead watch it remotely, saying wearing black was a form of "protest" against what he described as the country's "erosion of democracy."

"Hindi pa kami nag-uusap lahat. Ako, mas preference ko siguro panoorin na lang sa TV [ang SONA]. Baka mas komportable rin 'yung administrasyon that way and it's my simple way of protesting, pati sa pagba-black [na damit]," Cayetano said.

Imee Marcos likewise confirmed that she would not personally attend this year’s SONA.