By Adrian H. Halili and Chloe Mari A. Hufana, Reporters
PHILIPPINE Vice-President (VP) Sara Duterte-Carpio on Wednesday said she would run for President in 2028, becoming the primary major political figure to declare her intention to hunt the country’s top post amid an escalating feud with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos, Jr.
“I’m Sara Duterte, I’ll run for President of the Philippines,” she said in a prepared statement in Filipino. She declined to reply questions after.
The 1987 Structure limits Mr. Marcos to a single six-year term, and he has yet to endorse a successor.
Before announcing her presidential ambition, Ms. Duterte said running with Mr. Marcos in 2022 was a mistake, accusing him of failing to satisfy his campaign guarantees and of being complicit in what she described as a large-scale corruption scheme involving the 2025 national budget.
“I cannot kneel before every Filipino to say sorry,” said Ms. Duterte, who’s facing a fresh impeachment bid within the House of Representatives. “As an alternative, I offer my life, my strength and my future in service to our nation.”
“In the primary months of our terms, I saw Bongbong Marcos, Jr.’s lack of loyalty, each in the guarantees he made throughout the campaign, and in his sworn duty to the people,” she added.
Mr. Marcos wished the Vice-President “good luck,” Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro told a news briefing.
She said Ms. Duterte should apologize for her shortcomings during her tenure as Education secretary, including alleged corruption, the usage of confidential funds, overseas travel expenses, and remarks against the President.
“She should first apologize for the problems of corruption and alleged embezzlement of confidential funds of her two offices at the moment — the Office of the Vice-President and the Department of Education,” Ms. Castro said in Filipino. “She must also apologize for all of the slander as a substitute of working and helping the federal government.”
Ms. Duterte served as Education chief from 2022 to 2024 after the Marcos-Duterte tandem won a landslide victory under the “UniTeam” banner. She left the Marcos Cabinet amid allegations of irregularities within the Education department, the federal government’s largest agency by budget.
Congressmen revived impeachment complaints against her earlier this month, and Ms. Duterte now faces three separate cases on the House. “If there continues to be an impending impeachment, it is due to her own actions,” Ms. Castro said.
Ms. Duterte has denied wrongdoing.
The rift between Mr. Marcos and Ms. Duterte has widened in recent months following policy disagreements and political tensions between their camps.
The political dispute has also unfolded against the backdrop of the arrest of her father, former President Rodrigo R. Duterte, by the International Criminal Court over charges of crimes against humanity related to his anti-drug campaign.
The House impeached her last 12 months however the Supreme Court voided the proceedings for violating her right to due process.
‘SMARTER’ MOVE
Anthony Lawrence A. Borja, a political science professor at De La Salle University, said the Vice-President’s move could heighten tensions in Congress and pressure lawmakers who’ve yet to take sides amid the impeachment complaints on the House.
“In the event that they are spooked in favor of Duterte, then the impeachment deliberations might decelerate,” he said in a Facebook Messenger chat. “If the Marcos camp decides to use a powerful hand to make sure loyalty, then it becomes an issue of whether it might probably provide enough incentives to maintain legislators in line.”
Hansley A. Juliano, a political science lecturer on the Ateneo de Manila University, said lawmakers should consider pursuing electoral violation cases as a substitute of impeachment.
“It could be smarter to subject her to electoral violation cases that may be traced back to her previous runs,” he said via Messenger chat. “Previous Presidents have been subjected to this to bolster potential bans on running.”
Meanwhile, opposition Senator Ana Theresia Hontiveros-Baraquel said the “united opposition,” composed of leaders from the Liberal Party and reform-oriented groups, had yet to call its standard-bearer for the 2028 elections.
“We’re within the strategy of setting our own timeline,” she told a news briefing. “Even before this recent necessary development, we were continuing to level off and agree on what our qualifications were in our ranks.”
Ms. Hontiveros said they expect to announce their candidate by the top of the 12 months or in the primary quarter of 2027. She added that their preferred presidential bet should reveal a commitment to anti-corruption, good governance, stronger economic growth, national unity and sovereignty.
The senator has said she stays open to running for President in 2028 if the united opposition reaches a consensus round her candidacy.