DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte says she may possibly run in the 2025 mid-term elections, hinting at a comeback to local politics.
She made this announcement in her speech during a visit to Barangay New Gallera in Davao City on Monday.
“Kadungog ko nga ang akoang igsoon, si Mayor Baste, ug ang akong maguwang, si Congressman Pulong, nagsulti sila nga di sila mudagan. Basin di sila mudagan sa sunod nga eleksyon, so mao nang naa ko dinhi sa inyoha kay mangampanya ko sa inyoha kay mudagan ko sa sunod nga eleksyon,” the vice president said to applause from the community..
(I heard that my brother, Mayor Baste, and my elder brother, Congressman Pulong, both said they’re not running. Maybe they won’t participate in the next election, so that’s why I’m here because I am campaigning that I’ll run in the next elections.)
Her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, has also revealed in his press conference early this month that Mayor Sebastian ‘Baste’ is mulling a return to private life after serving as the city’s vice mayor in 2019 and mayor since 2022.
Paolo Duterte, who is serving his second term as Davao City’s first district representative, is facing controversy after revealing that his congressional ‘pork’ budget has been slashed from his previous allocation worth billions of pesos which his office receives every year.
Sara Duterte is still serving her term as vice president up to 2028 and was earlier touted as the frontrunner for the presidency. But issues such as the confidential funds of her office and problems in the education sector have seen a dip in her trust ratings since late last year.
Duterte supporters have also reacted negatively to rumors that Margarita Nograles, party-list representative of Pwerse ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA), is eyeing to run as mayor in 2025, an issue that Nograles has denied.
Commission on Election (Comelec) Chairman Attorney George Garcia said in a television interview that Duterte’s plan to seek office in the middle of her term is allowed under Comelec rules.
“Based on our existing law, if an elected official will run for another position higher or lower than the position he or she is holding, will lose the election, then she will go back to the position she is holding presently because the current term she is holding has not yet expired. (If she wins), then it’s up to her to choose between the two positions,” the Comelec chair explained.
If Sara Duterte supposedly runs and wins in the 2025 local elections and chooses that position, Garcia said that the post of the vice presidency will be vacated and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr shall appoint a member of the Senate to assume the office.
The Dutertes have enjoyed support from Davawenyos in local politics. Rodrigo has served seven terms as mayor since 1988, while the Duterte siblings joined politics since 2007 and cemented their positions as mayor, vice mayor, and congressman among themselves in the last decade.
Sara Duterte ran under a unity tandem with Marcos Jr that won via landslide in 2022, but the two political dynasties seem to be heading for a rift over recent issues, from budget allocations to charter change. (davaotoday.com)
davao city, rodrigo duterte, sara duterte
