While charming the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong, Vice President Sara Duterte appeared to casually drop a hint of her 2028 presidential bid, even as a looming impeachment trial could possibly boot her out and block any further political ambitions.
Speaking to OFWs on Sunday, March 9, Sara Duterte thanked them for their support over the years and for the votes she received in the 2022 elections, which helped her secure the vice presidency alongside her former-ally-but-now-nemesis, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“Nagpapasalamat ako dahil from 2016 hanggang 2025 andiyan pa rin kayo…Sa tulong ‘nyo at sa kampanya para sa akin sa nakaraang halalan noong 2022,” Sara Duterte said. (I am grateful because from 2016 to 2025, you are still here… For your help and support during my campaign in the 2022 elections.)
“At sa susunod na halalan sa 2028, joke lang (And for the next election in 2028…just kidding),” Sara Duterte quipped, drawing cheers from the crowd.
The Vice President, alongside her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, is in Hong Kong for what is reportedly a thanksgiving event and campaign sortie for the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino. This comes amid talk of an arrest warrant being issued against Rodrigo Duterte in connection with his controversial drug war, which is under investigation by the International Criminal Court.
The Duterte campaign team confirmed to Rappler that reelectionist Senators Bong Go and Bato dela Rosa are also in Hong Kong. Both senators were key players in the former president’s drug war campaign.
Sara Duterte also recounted a supposed conversation with detained preacher and senatorial candidate Apollo Quiboloy, who told her that not running for president in 2022 was a smart move, as aiming for the 2028 elections could help challenge the Marcos family’s grip on power in Malacañang.
“Sabihin man nila na kasalanan mo ang lahat ng ito, Inday Sara. Sabihin man nila kasalanan mo ito dahil hindi ka tumakbong pangulo. Sabi niya, Inday Sara, ganyan din nangyari sa buhay mo dahil hindi puwede na ikaw ang mauna at sila ang sumunod. Dahil wala ng katapusan ‘yan,” Duterte said.
(They may say that all of this is your fault, Inday Sara. They may say it’s your fault because you didn’t run for president. He said, Inday Sara, that’s what happened in your life because you can’t be ahead and they would follow. Because it would never end.)
Is the Vice President confident enough to survive the impeachment trial that she’s already contemplating 2028? (READ: Can Sara Duterte avoid being banned from seeking public office if she resigns?)
Since her fallout with the President in late 2023, Sara Duterte has been the target of attacks. On February 5, she was impeached by House lawmakers over allegations of large-scale corruption and threats to assassinate Marcos.
Had she not stepped aside for Marcos, the Vice President said the 2022 presidency could have been hers. She added that it was Senator Imee Marcos who convinced her to run alongside her brother.
Sara Duterte has filed a petition with the Supreme Court challenging the validity of the fourth complaint, fast-tracked by 215 lawmakers, that led to her impeachment. In her petition, she argues that the House violated the “one-year bar” rule of the 1987 Constitution, which prohibits initiating impeachment proceedings against the same official more than once within a year. The House did not act on the first three impeachment cases filed against her in December 2024.
Senate President Chiz Escudero initially scheduled the trial for July 30, amid criticisms that the upper chamber is delaying the process.
Can Sara Duterte survive her biggest political battle yet and secure the presidency in 2028? It all depends on whether the political tide will favor her. – Rappler.com