Vice President declares intention to run for president in 2028

Duterte’s surprised announcement ended months of speculations about her political plans since the fallout from President Ferdinand Marcos in June 2024.

Manila — Vice President Sara Duterte, the daughter of a former president detained in The Hague for crimes against humanity, has declared her intention to seek the presidency in 2028.

Duterte’s surprised announcement ended months of speculations about her political plans since the fallout from President Ferdinand Marcos in June 2024.

“I am Sara Duterte. I will run for president of the Philippines,” she announced at her Office of the Vice President.

“It took me 47 years to understand that my life was never meant to be only mine.Unlike others, I may not have been born just to chase happiness.”

The vice president did not take questions from journalists after her announcement.

The Office of the President gave a short response to Duterte’s announcement. “Good luck”,” said press officer Claire Castro, quoting President Marcos.

Political commentators speculated that Duterte made her presidential run announcement to sway congressmen about to vote on four impeachment complaints pending in the House of Representatives.

Speaker Faustino Dy III has until March 2 to transmit the complaints to the House Committee on Rules, which will pass them to the House Committee on Justice for deliberations.

Political commentators believed it was uncertain if Marcos’ allies in Congress could muster one-third support to impeach Duterte, sending it to trial in the upper house.

Marcos and Duterte were a team in the May 2022 elections, winning an unprecedented majority since the 1992 elections.

Soon after the 2022 polls, cracks were seen in the alliance and finally broke in June 2024 when the vice president resigned from the Marcos Cabinet as education secretary.

Duterte had also apologized for “helping” President Marcos win in the elections in 2022.