Sara Duterte says she will run in next election

CEBU, Philippines – Vice President Sara Duterte announced her campaign bid for the next election on Monday, January 22, but did not specify for which post.

Duterte said in her speech at Barangay Bago Gallera, Davao City, that she heard her brothers Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte and Congressman Paolo Duterte say they will not be seeking another term.

“Basin dili sila mudagan sa sunod nga eleksyon so mao na naa ko dinhi sa inyoha para mangampanya kay mudagan ko sa sunod nga eleksyon,” Duterte said.

(They might not run in the next election so that’s why I’m here to campaign because I will be running for the next election.)

The Vice President, however, has not yet confirmed which particular position she will be running for. 

The next election is the senatorial race in 2025. If she chooses to run in 2025, she will be cutting short her term, which is supposed to end in 2028.

Rappler has reached out to the Office of the Vice President for clarification on the matter but has yet to receive any reply. We will update this story once we get a response.

Her pronouncement calls to mind past declarations made by her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, about running for president in 2016. After repeated denials and even filing a certificate of candidacy for Davao City mayor, he withdrew that COC on November 27, 2015, and filed his candidacy for president on the same day. Sara Duterte then ran for mayor as substitute candidate of her father.

Based on the results of the Pulse Asia survey released on January 8, Duterte’s trust rating stood at 78% between September 2023 and December 2023, maintaining the seat of the “most trusted government official”.

Recently, the Vice President either expressed reservations or spoke against moves associated with the administration, such as the reboot of peace talks with communist rebels, and the people’s initiative route to amend the 1987 Constitution.

She also eventually withdrew her bid for P650 million in confidential funds in 2024 after Congress denied her request. 

In an exclusive interview with GMA News anchor Pia Arcangel on Tuesday, January 23, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he hasn’t talked to his veep about her plans for 2025.

“I think she’s also testing the waters to see what the reaction will be,” he added. – with reports from Dwight de Leon/Rappler.com