DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 18 February) – A leader of the progressive women’s group Gabriela said Vice President Sara Duterte’s declaration on Wednesday that she will run for president in 2028 was meant to portray her “as being politically persecuted through an impeachment case.”

“It was a clear message to friends and foes. It serves the dual purpose of deflecting the issue of accountability as sought by the impeachment complaints, as well as to show allies she is strong, and pressure the opponents to soften their stance, or else their popularity gets eroded,” Lindo, a co-convenor of STOP Corruption Alliance, said of the announcement which came more than two years ahead of the general elections.

Elections in the Philippines are merely a popularity contest, Lindo said, adding Duterte’s early announcement of her plans might be for “political survival.”

“The Philippine voters do not vote for accountability. This is a reality. Accountability is a culture that is intentionally developed, and the battle for accountability is an uphill one, like a Sisyphean struggle. Those who care try to roll a boulder upward only to find it rolling down again. This is the Philippines when it comes to electoral politics,” she said.

Leo XL Fuentes, also a co-convenor of STOP Corruption Alliance, said the 2028 elections are still two years away, and government officials should focus their time and the country’s resources on doing their job address poverty.

Fuentes said the biggest challenge is educating voters to become more discerning in their choice of leaders and encouraging them to vote based on platforms “rather than rhetoric and lazy slogans like ‘basta Uniteam.’”

“And ultimately, we must be vigilant,” he added. “We are now in the midst of political disorder, yet people still believe in the politicians who dragged us into this situation? That doesn’t seem right.”

Duterte on Wednesday announced that she will run for president in 2028.

She made the declaration at the end of her nearly six-minute speech, streamed live over the Facebook page of the Office of the Vice President, in which she also criticized the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., her former ally and running mate under a UniTeam alliance in the 2022 elections.

“Ako si Sara Duterte, tatakbo bilang Pangulo ng Pilipinas (I am Sara Duterte. I will run for President of the Philippines),” she said.

Duterte opened her speech quoting Proverbs 19:21, stating, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

The Vice President said her “life was never meant to be only mine,” adding that “she was not born to chase happiness” and that she had accepted her life is unlike any other.

“For a long time, I questioned the weight of responsibility – to my family, to my country, to everyone who called on me,” she said.

She said politicians avoid announcing their plans too early to avoid becoming the target of attacks but added that the Marcos administration “has long destroyed” her name.

She accused Marcos of using the “full machinery of power” against her, starting from what she described as “scripted” investigations in aid of legislation by the House of Representatives, to the arrest and detention of her father, former President Rodrigo R. Duterte, in The Hague, Netherlands, and to the countless accusations repeatedly hurled against her “until they appear to be true.”

“Hindi ako kailanman natakot sa pagsira nila ng pangalan ko. Ngunit may takot ako para sa ating mga anak (I was never afraid of their attempts to destroy my name. But I do have fear for our children),” she said.

Duterte criticized the Marcos administration for alleged government corruption, stating that she observed a lack of trustworthiness in the fulfillment of the President’s campaign promises and his sworn duty to the country during his first few months in office.

Duterte said she left the Cabinet of the Marcos administration, claiming she could not bear to take part in the controversial 2025 national budget, which she described as riddled with corruption.

She resigned as secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd) on June 19, 2024, amid a growing conflict with Marcos. During her tenure, Duterte was accused of misusing the confidential funds of the DepEd, as well as those of the Office of the Vice President.

“Kahit na alam ko na, mula pa noong 2023, na ang magiging kapalit nito ay ang aking impeachment (Even though I already knew, as early as 2023, that the consequence would be my impeachment),” she added.

The Vice President apologized to the Filipino people for helping Marcos win the presidency and for the shortcomings of the current administration, citing inflation, poverty, weaknesses in the healthcare system, massive flooding linked to the controversial flood control program, and substandard infrastructure projects such as roads and bridges.

“Patawad kung ang krimen, iligal na droga, at terorismo ay tila unti-unti nang lumalapit sa pintuan ng ating mga tahanan (I’m sorry if crime, illegal drugs, and terrorism seem to be slowly approaching the doors of our homes),” she said. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)